The Supreme Court on Friday granted divorce to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his wife Payal after a 32-year marriage and living separately since 2011.
Both informed the court that they have decided to end their marriage by mutual consent and resolve all disputes.
Omar Abdullah had challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court, which had refused to dissolve their marriage.
Omar Abdullah had been living separately from his wife Payal for about 15 years.
The meeting took place at Oberoi Hotel
Umar and Payal met while working at the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. They got married in 1994. They have two sons, named Zaheer and Zameer. Abdullah and Payal had been living separately since 2011.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe that the two had filed an application for dissolution of marriage under Article 142 of the Constitution earlier this month.
Accused of demanding alimony of ₹300 crore
In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had asked both parties to sit together and seriously consider the issues. The court stated, “We hope that both parties will show seriousness and the matter will be resolved.”
During the hearing, Omar Abdullah’s lawyer Kapil Sibal had alleged that Payal does not want to give divorce and is demanding alimony of ₹300 crore.
Omar had sought divorce on the grounds of cruelty
In 2016, a family court dismissed Abdullah’s petition, stating that he could not prove the marriage had ended. The court also found the allegations of cruelty to be vague and baseless.
He then challenged the decision in the Delhi High Court. In December 2023, the court dismissed his appeal and upheld the lower court’s decision.
The High Court ordered Omar Abdullah to pay Payal ₹1.5 lakh per month in alimony and ₹60,000 per month for the education of one of their sons. Omar subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court.
In April 2025, the Supreme Court had directed both of them to sit together and resolve their disputes.
