SC dissolves marriage, directs removal of couple's pic from social media

In a one-of-a-kind order, the Supreme Court has ordered removal of pictures of a couple from all social media platforms, leaving them with no footprint of their bitter relationship.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Dipak Misra allowed the man and the woman to part ways peacefully and dissolved their marriage solemnised in 2013.

The court passed its order, exercising its extra-ordinary jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution.

The court ordered the man, an IIM graduate, to pay his engineer wife Rs 37 lakh as a full and final settlement.

Both the husband and the wife were present in the court.

The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, accepted a plea made by advocate Dushyant Parashar, appearing for the woman, to issue directions for removal of the wife's picture from any social media platform by the husband.

He said in order to ensure that the woman can move ahead in life, all her pictures from any social media platform or elsewhere should be removed.

This would also help in woman's effort to get re-married in future, he said.

Advocate Rajesh Mahale, appearing for the man, agreed to the request.

It was contended that the marriage had barely lasted for three months as the couple from Maharashtra developed serious differences, resulting in an initiation of 18 civil and criminal proceedings against each other.

"Neither the husband nor the wife shall put the photographs of each other in any mode at any place which would also include social media or online," the court directed.

The court allowed a plea made by the husband to quash all criminal and civil proceedings against him and his family members.

The bench also directed for expunging of all adverse statements made by the couple against each other from records in proceedings before any court.