In Brief
In this family law matter, the Supreme Court allowed civil appeals where a married couple sought to replace their contested divorce (granted on grounds of cruelty) with a mutual consent divorce after reaching an amicable settlement. The couple agreed on alimony of Rs. 36.50 lakhs (revised from the High Court's order) and to withdraw all pending criminal and civil proceedings. The Court, recognising the genuine efforts of counsel and parties' cooperation, granted the mutual consent divorce by waiving the mandatory cooling-off period and quashing related criminal cases and maintenance proceedings. The settlement promoted peaceful resolution over prolonged litigation.
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