‘Hindu marriage a contractual agreement’: Andhra HC
On 13 August 2026, the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Amaravati ruled that a marriage spanning over five decades between an elderly couple, now aged 77 and 72, had effectively ended due to lack of reconciliation. The court waived the mandatory six-month cooling off period under the Hindu Marriage Act, treating the union as a contractual agreement rather than a sacrament.
This marks a shift in the legal perspective on Hindu marriage, recognizing it as a binding contract that can be dissolved based on mutual consent. The case, filed by the husband seeking divorce on cruelty and desertion grounds, was converted to a mutual consent divorce by both parties after a long period of separation and estrangement.
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