SC Seeks Payal Abdullah's Reply on Omar Abdullah's Divorce Plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of Omar Abdullah, on a plea filed by the National Conference leader seeking divorce on the grounds of cruelty.

A bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah issued a notice to Payal Abdullah and sought her response within six weeks.

At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Omar Abdullah, submitted that the marriage was "dead" as they have been living separately for the past 15 years.

The Delhi High Court on December 12, 2023, dismissed Omar Abdullah's plea seeking divorce, saying there was no merit in his appeal.

The High Court had upheld the 2016 family court order refusing to grant a decree of divorce to Abdullah, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We find no infirmity in the view taken by the family court that the allegations of cruelty were vague and unacceptable, that the appellant failed to prove any act which could be termed as an act of cruelty, be it physical or mental, towards him," the bench said while pronouncing the judgment.

On August 30, 2016, the trial court dismissed Omar Abdullah's plea seeking divorce.

The trial court had said Omar Abdullah could not prove his claims of "cruelty" or "desertion" which were the grounds alleged by him for granting of decree of divorce.

(With Inputs from PTI)