Recently, the Punjab & Haryana High Court resolved the dissolution of a 44-year-long marriage between a couple from Haryana’s Karnal district bringing an end to an 18-year-long legal battle. The Court facilitated a resolution in which the husband just shy of 70 years old, agreed to pay his 73-year-old estranged wife a sum of Rs. 3.07 cr. as permanent alimony. This decision marks the closure of a prolonged dispute and highlights the legal system’s role in resolving long-standing martial conflicts through mediation.
The couple, married on August 27, 1980, raised three children—two daughters and a son. However, over the years, their relationship deteriorated, leading to separation in 2006. The husband filed for divorce, citing mental cruelty, but his petition was rejected by the Karnal family court in 2013. He then appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the case remained unresolved for 11 years before being referred to the court’s mediation and conciliation centre in November 2023.
During the mediation process, the parties reached an agreement. The husband agreed to pay Rs. 3.07 cr. in alimony to his wife, which included demand drafts, cash, and gold and silver ornaments. The total payment was made up of Rs 2.16 crore from the sale of agricultural land, Rs 50 lakh in cash from his crops, and Rs 40 lakh in gold and silver ornaments. The settlement was signed on November 22, 2023, and ensured that the wife and children would not have any claims on the husband’s estate, even after his death.
The bench led by Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi, formally dissolved the marriage and acknowledged the emotional weight of the resolution. The settlement effectively ended all claims related to the husband’s properties and established permanent alimony for the wife, concluding the long-standing dispute with finality. The division bench observed that the case was a poignant reminder of the frailty of human relationships and how prolonged litigation can exacerbate the pain of separation. The Court remarked that, in such cases, mediation plays a critical role in providing an avenue for reconciliation, offering the parties an opportunity to reach a resolution outside the adversarial process.
Furthermore, the Court’s decision to enforce the settlement agreement included the stipulation that, even after the husband's death, the wife and children would have no claim over his estate. This provision underscored the need for finality in legal disputes, particularly those involving long-standing personal relationships, and provided clarity to all parties involved. The Court emphasized the importance of bringing closure to such matters to prevent prolonged uncertainty that could continue to affect the lives of those involved.
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