Supreme Court Grants Divorce to Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah After Successful Mediation

July 31, 2026 : The Supreme Court on Friday brought an end to the long-running matrimonial dispute between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his estranged wife, Payal Abdullah, after the couple informed the Court that they had amicably resolved all their differences through mediation.

A Bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe disposed of Omar Abdullah’s appeal after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for him, informed the Court that both parties had reached a comprehensive settlement and agreed to withdraw all pending proceedings connected with the matrimonial dispute.

Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah were married in September 1994 but had been living separately for several years. In 2016, a family court rejected Omar Abdullah’s petition for divorce, holding that he had failed to establish grounds of cruelty, desertion or irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The court observed that the evidence placed before it did not show that continuation of the marital relationship had become impossible.

His challenge before the Delhi High Court was also unsuccessful. Thereafter, Omar Abdullah approached the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the marriage by invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers the Court to pass orders necessary to do complete justice in appropriate cases.

In August 2024, the Supreme Court referred the matter to mediation after both parties expressed their willingness to explore an amicable resolution. The proceedings remained pending while the mediator facilitated discussions between the parties.

With the mediation resulting in a complete settlement of all disputes, the Supreme Court accepted the terms of the settlement, dissolved the marriage and disposed of the appeal, bringing the prolonged matrimonial litigation to a close.