In Brief
A husband and wife separated in 2022 after 26 years of marriage. Following mediation, they signed a settlement agreement in May 2024 for mutual divorce. The husband paid ₹89 lakh, returned jewellery, and provided a car fund. The wife subsequently refused to sign the final divorce paperwork and filed a domestic violence complaint instead. The Supreme Court found this constituted abuse of the legal process—allowing someone to accept settlement benefits while repudiating their obligations undermines mediated settlements. The Court quashed the domestic violence proceedings and exercised its extraordinary powers to dissolve the marriage on grounds of irretrievable breakdown, ordering completion of outstanding settlement terms.
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