The Supreme Court of India recently finalized the dissolution of a long-separated couple’s marriage, describing their legal battle as reminiscent of the epic “Mahabharata.” Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta presided over the ruling, underscoring the unusual nature of the case involving over 80 legal disputes between the parties, their families, and even attorneys. The court ordered the husband to provide a substantial alimony of Rs 5 crore to his wife.
The bench criticized the husband, who is a lawyer, for abusing his legal knowledge to prolong the litigation process and harass the wife’s legal team with multiple lawsuits. Despite the husband’s claims of financial incapacity following his resignation from a corporate position, the court dismissed these arguments as a deliberate attempt to avoid his financial responsibilities.
Furthermore, the court rejected the husband’s assertion that the wife’s professional qualifications released him from his obligations, emphasizing his continuing duty to support their children despite her independent career. The decision highlighted the husband’s moral and legal responsibilities in the context of the high costs of contemporary living and education.
The court also instructed the wife to vacate the apartment, owned by the husband’s father, as part of the final settlement. The ruling emphasized the husband’s obligation to fulfill his financial duties and dismissed his attempts to evade them.