Panchkula: In yet another case of grey divorce in India, an elderly couple from Haryana's Karnal district went their separate ways 43 years after their marriage, with the husband agreeing to pay Rs 3.7 crore as permanent alimony to his wife.
The agreement, which was reached through High Court mediation, involved the husband selling his agricultural land and crops to meet the settlement terms.
According to sources, the 69-year-old husband had been living separately from his 73-year-old wife for 18 years. Married on August 27, 1980, the couple had three children -- two daughters and a son. However, their relationship soured over time, and they began living apart on May 8, 2006.
In his divorce petition filed in the Karnal Family Court, the husband alleged mental cruelty, however, the court rejected the divorce plea in January 2013. The matter escalated to the High Court, where mediation sessions began on November 4, 2024. During the sessions, both parties and their children agreed to divorce on the condition of a Rs 3.7 crore settlement.
As part of the settlement, the husband sold agricultural land, providing a demand draft of Rs 2.16 crore. Additionally, Rs 50 lakh was paid in cash from the proceeds of sugarcane and other crops. The agreement stipulated that the wife and children would relinquish all claims on the husband's property, even after his death.
The High Court bench of Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Jagjit Singh Bedi approved the agreement, finalising the divorce.
The latest case comes amid a country-wide discussion on alimony and divorce against the backdrop of the death of Atul Subhash, a techie in Bengaluru who ended his life earlier this month, citing harassment and monetary demands by her now-arrested wife. Subhash's death and the circumstances surrounding it were widely reported and triggered massive outrage and discussion on social media.
What is a grey divorce?
Cases of grey divorces have been reported from several states in the recent past. A grey divorce occurs between a couple who have been married for a long time, usually after the age of 50. Silver splitters is another term used to describe such couples who separate later in their lives.
A recent report quotes an advocate whose practice comprises around 60% of family law cases claiming that grey divorces have increased by 30 to 40 percent in the last five years in India. According to the report, 75 percent of these divorces are filed by women. While official data on such cases in India is not available, the phenomenon seems to be global as 40% of all divorce cases in the past two decades in the US involved people aged 50 or older.
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