The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, seeking her response to his divorce petition, which cites allegations of cruelty.
The bench, comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, has given her six weeks to reply.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Omar Abdullah, argued that the marriage has been effectively "dead" as the couple has lived separately for the past 15 years.
Previously, the Delhi High Court dismissed Omar Abdullah's divorce petition on December 12, 2023, stating that his appeal lacked merit.
The High Court upheld a 2016 family court ruling, which had denied Omar Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of the then state of Jammu and Kashmir, a decree of divorce.
The divorce case between Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah, nee Nath, who got married in 1994 and share two sons, has been a prolonged and contentious legal battle.
However, marital discord led to their separation, and they have been living apart since 2009.
In 2016, Omar Abdullah filed for divorce on grounds of cruelty, seeking to legally end their marriage. The family court, however, denied his request, leading to his filing an appeal in the Delhi High Court.
The High Court, in December 2023, upheld the family court's decision, stating that there was no merit in his appeal for divorce.
Omar Abdullah then approached the Supreme Court, which has now sought a response from Payal Abdullah to his plea.
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