Wife refuses alimony and returns mother-in-law’s gold bangles; Supreme Court calls it a very rare settlement

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a divorce case that surprised even the Supreme Court, the wife refused to take any alimony and voluntarily returned the gold bangles gifted to her by her mother-in-law. Hearing the matter on Thursday, the bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan described it as an exceptionally rare settlement, noting that the woman did not demand money, property or maintenance of any kind.

At the start of the hearing, the woman’s lawyer informed the court that his client did not wish to claim any form of alimony or maintenance. She only wanted to return the gold bangles. Initially, the bench misunderstood and thought she was demanding her stridhan back. But as soon as the lawyer clarified that the woman herself wanted to return the bangles gifted during the wedding, Justice Pardiwala smiled and remarked that such settlements are extremely uncommon.

The wife also joined the proceedings through video conferencing. After reviewing the terms, the court passed the final order and formally dissolved the marriage.