3 min readNew DelhiSep 2, 2026 11:23 AM IST
The Karnataka High Court has confirmed the divorce of a Bengaluru couple who told the court that their marriage had “lost its significance and efficacy” and that their relationship was “dead”, with nothing surviving between them, while directing the husband to pay Rs 25 lakh as permanent alimony to his wife in five equal instalments.
Justices D K Singh and T M Nadaf were hearing the appeal filed by the wife who challenged the December 2021 order of the family court that allowed the husband’s application and dissolved the marriage.
“Both the parties (husband and wife) submitted that the marriage had lost its significance and efficacy, and the relationship between them is dead and nothing survives between them, and there is no purpose or meaning in continuing the marital relationship and that they had no issue (child) from the wedlock,” the August 27 order read.
The couple had a love marriage in the presence of elders and relatives of both families in November 2013. The husband claimed that the marriage did not start happily and his wife, from day one of the marriage, was not happy to stay with his parents.
He stated that the bitterness between them slowly grew until they started living separately from May 2016. Later, the wife allegedly approached him through an email seeking divorce by mutual consent without permanent alimony.
Justices D K Singh and T M Nadaf pronounced the order on August 27.
‘Treated differently over caste’
On the contrary, the wife claimed that her in-laws were against the marriage since she belonged to a Scheduled Caste and added that because of the caste barrier, the husband’s father stayed away from her family members. She added that the in-laws never ate any food she prepared because of her caste.
Ultimately, the family court allowed the husband’s petition and granted a decree of divorce in 2021. Aggrieved, the wife moved the high court. She claimed that the husband was earning Rs 20,000 at the time of marriage in 2013, while he claimed that she worked in a private company and earned around Rs 1 lakh, which was more than his salary.
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The woman was represented by advocates Nidhi Shetty and Ramesh K. The husband was represented by advocate Kapil Dixit.
Husband directed to pay Rs 25 lakh
The high court noted that the husband, after much deliberation, came forward to settle the dispute by paying a permanent alimony of Rs 15 lakh in three monthly instalments. However, the wife held on to the amount of Rs 40 lakh.
The judges finally directed the husband to pay Rs 25 lakh as permanent alimony, in five equal instalments of Rs 5 lakh each, starting from September. “Any failure on the part of the husband to pay the sum directed would entail the wife to execute a decree seeking payment directed in this appeal,” it added.
The court, while disposing of the appeal, noted that the couple had stated that they would withdraw cases filed against one another in view of divorce and the permanent alimony paid.
Justices D K Singh and T M Nadaf pronounced the order on August 27.