SC seeks response from NC leader Omar Abdullah's wife Payal Abdullah

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of Omar Abdullah, on a petition filed by the National Conference leader seeking divorce on 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.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mr 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 Mr 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 Omar 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 high court had said.

On August 30, 2016, the family court had dismissed Mr Abdullah's plea, holding that he could not prove his claims of "cruelty" or "desertion" which were the grounds alleged by him for seeking a decree of divorce.

In his plea seeking divorce, Mr Abdullah had claimed before the family court that his marriage had broken down irretrievably and he has not enjoyed a conjugal relationship since 2007 and that the couple, married on September 1, 1994, was living separately since 2009. The couple has two sons who are staying with their mother.