In Brief
Harjinder Singh and Rajpal had been litigating their marriage dispute for approximately two decades and living separately when they jointly petitioned for divorce by mutual consent under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The trial court and High Court had previously rejected divorce petitions based on cruelty and desertion. The Supreme Court, satisfied that both parties had freely and consciously decided to end the marriage, granted the divorce decree despite the statutory waiting period. Through court-facilitated mediation, the parties also settled the wife's maintenance claim: the husband agreed to pay Rs. 22 lakhs in two instalments. The pending maintenance case was dismissed as withdrawn.
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