Supreme Court Grants Divorce to Omar Abdullah and Wife Payal After 17 Years of Separation
The Supreme Court has granted a divorce to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his estranged wife Payal Abdullah by mutual consent. The couple, who have been living separately since 2009, filed a joint application under Article 142 of the Constitution seeking dissolution of their marriage. Both parties agreed to withdraw all pending cases against each other.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared before a bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, informing the court that both parties had decided to move on. The joint petition was filed on July 22, and the bench said it would pass an order incorporating the parties' decision to withdraw all pending cases.
Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah were married in September 1994 and have two sons. Their legal battle spanned nearly a decade after Omar sought divorce on grounds of cruelty and desertion. A Family Court rejected his plea in 2016, and the Delhi High Court upheld that order in December 2023, leading to the Supreme Court appeal.
