Background: The appeals arose from previous rulings of the Madras High Court concerning long-standing matrimonial disputes between husband and wife. The couple married in November 2000, and two children were born from the wedlock. Following marital discord, the husband secured an ex-parte divorce decree in November 2015 from the I Additional Family Court, Chennai, and subsequently contracted a second marriage. Although the Family Court later set aside the ex-parte order in November 2021, the Madras High Court reversed this via a civil revision petition in September 2022, prompting the wife’s appeal. Concurrently, maintenance litigation under Section 125 CrPC led to further cross-litigation dismissed and appealed before the High Court.

Arguments by Mr. Rahul Jagannathan and Ms. Shristi Borthakur Appearing for the appellant-wife, Mr. Rahul Jagannathan and Ms. Shristi Borthakur informed the bench that the parties had successfully arrived at an absolute and amicable settlement regarding all multi-layered litigations pending between them.

The counsel jointly submitted that a formal application under Article 142 of the Constitution of India (registered as I.A. No. 245075/2026) had been filed. They urged the Supreme Court to take the terms of the settlement on record, accept that the parties had decided to part ways permanently, and quash all connected criminal and civil proceedings. Furthermore, the counsel submitted that in light of the full and final settlement—which included the receipt of Rs. 2 crores by the wife—the original 2015 divorce decree dissolving the marriage ought to be sustained.

Court’s Observations and Directions: The Supreme Court interacted with the parties through video conferencing, where both spouses confirmed the terms of the settlement. The appellant-wife verified that she received Rs. 2 crores in various tranches and had collected her personal belongings/stridhana, retaining no further claims against the husband. The respondent-husband similarly affirmed that he had no ongoing claims.

• Invocation of Article 142:Noting the comprehensive settlement and the mutual agreement to part ways, the apex court exercised its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to bring a quietus to the protracted litigation.
• Quashing of Pending Proceedings:The Court formally quashed all pending legal actions between the parties, including O.S. No. 266/2018, Maintenance Case No. 187/2020, multiple Criminal Miscellaneous Petitions, and Domestic Violence Case (DVC) No. 18/2019 pending before the Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet.
• Final Order:The Supreme Court granted leave, allowed the joint application, sustained the initial 2015 judgment and decree of divorce, and disposed of the appeals accordingly.