Jeddah skyline Saudi Arabia
According to some local reports, the number of marital disputes referred to the reconciliation offices in Saudi courts during 2020 amounted to 92,287 cases. Image Credit: Bloomberg

Dubai: A Saudi man has filed a case against his wife for pouring hot tea causing burns on his hand after a heated argument, local media reported.

In his lawsuit, the husband demanded compensation from his wife and asked authorities to punish her.

The wife claimed that she did so in self-defence. She said she was trying to push her husband back because he was beating her. “I found nothing other than a cup of tea to punish him for attacking me,” she said.

Abdul Rahman Al Ahmadi, legal adviser, said that marital disputes in Saudi Arabia usually end in reconciliation, and most of them have been caused by mistakes made by both husband and wife. But in this case, the husband has no right to ask for compensation unless he has an authenticated medical report proving his burn injuries. He can also demand an undertaking from her not to repeat this action.

According to some local reports, the number of marital disputes referred to the reconciliation offices in Saudi courts during 2020 amounted to 92,287 cases, 32,032 of which ended in reconciliation, while 25,849 cases were sent back to the judicial departments for solution. A total of 13,126 cases are still now under review while 30,895 cases were dismissed.