- Supreme Court Moves to Dissolve Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah’s Marriage by Mutual Consent
NEW DELHI, 31-07-2026: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to bring the long-running matrimonial dispute between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his estranged wife, Payal Abdullah, to a close after both parties jointly sought dissolution of their marriage by mutual consent under Article 142 of the Constitution.
A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe took note of the settlement reached between the couple and indicated that a formal order would be passed after incorporating the terms agreed upon by both sides.
Appearing for Omar Abdullah, senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed the court that all outstanding disputes between the parties had been settled. He submitted that a joint application had been filed under Article 142, requesting the apex court to dissolve the marriage and conclude the related proceedings.
Sibal told the bench that both parties had mutually agreed to separate and that the settlement covered all pending issues. He urged the court to grant the divorce and bring the matter to a final conclusion.
The bench observed that the joint application would form part of its formal order and that the case would be disposed of in accordance with the settlement. When the court sought clarification regarding the date of filing, it was informed that the application had been moved on July 22.
The court was also told that all other pending proceedings between Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah would be withdrawn under the terms of the settlement. The development effectively clears the way for the conclusion of a matrimonial dispute that has remained before different courts for several years.
The Supreme Court was hearing an appeal filed by Omar Abdullah against a December 2023 judgment of the Delhi High Court. The High Court had rejected his plea for divorce on the ground of cruelty and upheld an earlier ruling of a family court.
In 2016, the family court had dismissed Omar Abdullah’s divorce petition after holding that he had failed to prove his allegations of cruelty and desertion. The Delhi High Court later affirmed that decision, observing that the material placed before it was insufficient to grant the relief sought.
In his petition before the family court, Omar Abdullah had argued that the marriage had broken down irretrievably. He stated that the couple had not shared a conjugal relationship since 2007 and had been living separately since 2009.
Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah were married on September 1, 1994. In his earlier pleadings, he had alleged that certain conduct by his estranged wife had caused him mental distress and harassment. Those allegations, however, were not accepted by the family court or the Delhi High Court.
The legal dispute later reached the Supreme Court, which issued notice to Payal Abdullah in July 2024 on the appeal challenging the High Court verdict. The matter has now taken a different course after both sides arrived at a negotiated settlement and jointly requested the apex court to dissolve the marriage.
Separate proceedings had also arisen over maintenance and educational expenses. In August 2023, the Delhi High Court enhanced the interim maintenance payable to Payal Abdullah to ₹1.5 lakh per month. It also directed Omar Abdullah to pay ₹60,000 per month towards the education of each of the couple’s two sons.
That order had been passed on appeals filed by Payal Abdullah and their sons against lower court directions issued in 2018.
With the parties now agreeing to end the marriage by mutual consent, the prolonged legal contest is expected to conclude after the Supreme Court passes its formal order. Article 142 empowers the apex court to issue directions necessary for ensuring complete justice in cases pending before it, including matrimonial disputes where a comprehensive settlement has been reached.