{
  "id": 1645610,
  "title": "‘Hindu marriage a contractual agreement’: Andhra HC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/hindu-marriage-a-contractual-agreement-andhra-hc",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T05:12:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/hindu-marriage-no-longer-an-indissoluble-sacrament-but-a-contractual-agreement-andhra-pradesh-hc-waives-6-month-waiting-period-for-couple-seeking-mutual-divorce/articleshow/133312077.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}