A Mangaluru doctor's divorce, granted on the ground of cruelty after her husband admitted in WhatsApp messages to hitting her, has been upheld by the Karnataka High Court. While confirming the cruelty finding, the court reduced the wife's permanent alimony from Rs 2 crore to Rs 50 lakh, holding that alimony is meant to secure a reasonable standard of living and not to equalise the wealth of both spouses, especially since the wife is a financially independent, practising doctor.