‘Failure of marriage not end of life, move on’, Supreme Court tells young couple

The failure of a marriage does not mark the end of life, the Supreme Court told a young couple while urging the estranged partners to move forward rather than engage in prolonged legal battles.

The Supreme Court emphasized that the failure of a marriage does not mean the end of life, encouraging a young couple to move forward instead of engaging in prolonged legal disputes. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan dissolved the marriage of a couple who had been involved in various litigations since their separation less than a year after their wedding.

The court granted the divorce and terminated all pending legal proceedings between the parties, utilizing its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.

"The parties are young. They must look ahead towards their future. If the marriage has failed, that is not the end of life for both. They must look ahead and start a new life," the bench stated.

What's the case?

The case involved numerous litigations filed by both spouses and their families, both criminal and civil matters across different courts in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The woman had accused her husband and in-laws of harassment, leading to several cases, including charges under Section 498A (cruelty to a woman by her husband or his relatives) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as proceedings under the Domestic Violence Act. In response, the husband and his family filed suits seeking damages and the transfer of cases.

“There is no point in contesting all these litigations, as these litigations will go on for years and years together.”

The court declared that the dissolution of marriage would conclude all ongoing disputes, the judgment, delivered on February 11 and released on Wednesday, stated.

"As we have dissolved the marriage, all the pending proceedings between the parties stand terminated. Even if there is any other proceeding not included in the list, the same stands terminated."

The five-judge bench noted that public interest is served by dissolving a “dead marriage” when a relationship has deteriorated beyond hope of repair, allowing the Supreme Court to grant divorce in cases of “irretrievable breakdown” without requiring the parties to go through family court procedures.

In this case, the court aimed to ensure that both parties could move on without the burden of ongoing legal disputes.

The bench remarked, "The parties are requested to now live peacefully and proceed further in life."