In Brief
A husband sought divorce from his wife after 16 years of separation, alleging cruelty and desertion, but the trial court and high court rejected his case. The Supreme Court found that while statutory grounds for divorce under the Special Marriage Act were not established, the marriage was emotionally dead with no genuine prospect of reconciliation. Under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Court dissolved the marriage and directed the husband to pay the wife ₹25 lakhs within eight weeks, treating this as full and final settlement of all claims including any maintenance petition.
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