Couple file 67 cases against each other, SC shocked

An estranged couple from Bengaluru filed a staggering 67 cases against each other, drawing admonishment from none other the Supreme Court which has now restrained them from initiating any fresh litigation.

In proceedings that lasted more than a year, the top court tried to resolve the issues between the couple, a software engineer and his MBA wife, but finally remanded the matter back to the trial court for deciding the pleas, including the one related to the custody of their nine-year-old child. It directed the family court to decide the divorce petition within six months.

The sheer number of cases filed against each other by the couple had earlier drawn shock and astonishment from the court.

In its final order, a bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Sanjay Kishan Kaul noted: "We restrain both from instituting any fresh litigation in relation to the pending disputes, be it criminal or civil, against each other or the members of their family or against the school where the child is now studying."

In view of the apprehensions expressed by the school authorities about the interference of the parents, the bench said: "We make it clear that it will be open to them to restrain their entry to the premises of the school. We also restrain both the parents from unnecessarily communicating with the school." The court also directed the principal to keep the parents informed about all activities.

The court granted the child's father visitation rights and designated Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Temple, Malleswaram, as a pickup point. It, however, said the child cannot be taken out of the country without the permission of the high court.

In earlier proceedings, the court had tried to persuade the couple to end their bitter fight and even spoke to the child. The man was represented by senior advocate Kiran Suri and the woman by advocate Sanjay M Nuli.

The couple had got married in May 2002 in Bengaluru. Thereafter, they went to the US, where a baby boy was born in 2009. The man obtained US citizenship while the wife became a green card holder. But their relations turned sour. The woman came back to Bengaluru with the son. The man followed her and went on to file 58 cases while the woman launched nine cases.