Supreme Court Grants Divorce To Omar Abdullah & Payal Abdullah After 17 Years Of Separation

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his estranged wife, Payal Abdullah, have officially ended their long-running marital dispute after the Supreme Court granted them a divorce by mutual consent. The couple, who have been living separately since 2009, also agreed to withdraw all cases filed against each other.

Joint plea before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court was informed on Friday that the couple had filed a joint application under Article 142 of the Constitution, seeking the dissolution of their marriage. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing before a bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, told the court that both parties had decided to move on.

"The parties have embraced freedom," Sibal submitted, requesting the court to grant the divorce.

During the hearing, the bench was informed that the joint divorce petition had been filed on July 22. Taking note of the development, Justice Narasimha said the court would pass an order accordingly and incorporate the parties' decision to withdraw all pending cases into its judgment.

Decade-long legal battle

Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah were married on September 1, 1994, and have two sons. The former couple had been engaged in a prolonged legal battle for nearly a decade after Omar sought divorce on the grounds of cruelty and desertion.

In August 2016, the Family Court rejected his plea, ruling that he had failed to prove an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. In December 2023, the Delhi High Court upheld that order, prompting Omar Abdullah to move the Supreme Court. The apex court later referred the matter to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre, which paved the way for an amicable settlement.