The Supreme Court has a recipe for a successful marriage, more so for men: Obey your wife and rule the world!

'Bibi joh boltee hai woh sunno (Listen to whatever your wife says). We all listen,' a vacation bench of Justice Markandeya Katju and Justice Deepak Verma observed while hearing a lawsuit by Indian Air Force officer Deepak Kumar, who had complained that his estranged wife Manisha had ruined him and his family by implicating them in false criminal cases including sodomy.

'Hum sab bhuktbhogi hai (We all have undergone that experience),' the bench observed.

'If your wife wants you to see this side, see this side. If she wants you to see the other side, do obey her,' said Katju, adding: 'One who obeys his wife rules the world.'

Kumar's counsel told the court that his client had married Manisha 17 years ago but the couple soon landed in court with marital discord erupting between them.

A district court in Chandigarh dismissed Kumar's plea for divorce as Manisha opposed it, but a single-judge bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had granted him a divorce and directed him to pay Manisha Rs.1 million as one-time compensation.

Manisha then approached the Supreme Court challenging the divorce decree. Seeking dismissal of Manisha's appeal, Kumar's counsel contended that she was opposing the divorce despite having ruined her husband's life.

The bench, however, posted the case for further hearing in the last week of July, saying there was no urgency in dealing with it. 'You have waited for 17 years, so wait for a few more days,' the bench contended.