Sonal Talpada (wife) challenged the Rajasthan High Court's judgment granting divorce to her husband Veerbhan Singh under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, on the ground of cruelty. The parties, both doctors, married in 2007 but cohabited for only 2-3 months over their matrimonial period, with the wife continuing to work in Gujarat while the husband was posted in Rajasthan. The Supreme Court found that the wife's persistent refusal of conjugal relations—evidenced by sleeping in a locked separate room and denying sexual intercourse—constituted mental cruelty, affirming the principle laid down in Samar Ghosh v. Jaya Ghosh. Mediation ordered by the Supreme Court also failed, and the parties had been living separately for approximately 15 years with no prospect of reconciliation. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decree of divorce in favour of the husband.