26 years apart: Madras High Court dissolves marriage, but sets conditions over property

The Madras High Court recently dissolved a marriage that had been separated for over 26 years, with specific conditions imposed on the husband. The court, comprising Justices G R Swaminathan and M D Sumathi, held that there was no possibility of reconciliation or reunion between the couple. The marriage, which began in May 1995, ended in 1999 after the husband left the matrimonial home. He then filed a divorce petition in 2000, which was dismissed by the family court in April 2022.

The court found fault with the husband's actions, noting his failure to contribute towards his daughters' education or marriages and baseless allegations against his wife's character, which he later withdrew and apologized for. The husband, aged about 63 years, and the wife, likely aged about 56 years, had been separated for a prolonged period.

Despite their daughters' marriages, the husband did not participate in their ceremonies. The court also directed the husband to fulfill financial obligations, such as executing a release deed for jointly held property in favor of his wife and transferring one-third of the sale amount from his ancestral property to her within three months.

Additionally, the husband was already in arrears for maintenance payments totaling Rs 3 lakh, which he paid in full on the hearing date. Consequently, the high court dissolved the marriage, subject to these conditions.