The Supreme Court concluded the divorce proceedings of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, following a mutual agreement reached between him and his estranged wife, Payal Abdullah.
A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe formally recorded the settlement after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Omar Abdullah, informed the court that both parties had mutually decided to part ways. Sibal stated that all related disputes would be withdrawn, and the bench accepted the terms, bringing the lengthy legal battle to an end.
The case, which had been pending for close to ten years, originated in 2016 when Omar Abdullah filed for divorce, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and allegations of cruelty. However, his plea was dismissed by both the family court and the Delhi High Court, which found the claims insufficiently substantiated. He subsequently appealed the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court.
In August 2024, the apex court referred the matter to mediation at the request of both parties, and the process was allowed to continue when the case was adjourned in January 2025. The couple, who were married in 1994, had been living separately since 2009.
