Court grants divorce to judge couple

New Delhi, April 2: A city court has granted divorce to a former civil judge of Haryana from his wife, who is a metropolitan magistrate in a south Delhi court, on grounds of cruelty. Additional district judge Seema Maini allowed the divorce petition of Piyush Gakhar, a former civil judge of Bhiwani, for ending his marriage with Gomati Monacha, posted in the Saket district court, observing that he had been subjected to cruelty at the hands of his wife.

“From the cumulative scrutiny of the documentary evidence, adduced by the petitioner and the uncontroverted and unimpeached testimony of the petitioner, who entered the witness box as prosecution witness, J. K. Gakhar ( witness), and P. K. Verma ( witness), the term ‘ cruelty’ crystallised,” said judge Maini in her order made available on Monday.

The court was hearing a divorce case filed by Gakhar, through his coun- sel Amit Sahni. The application was moved by Gakhar in 2009 when he was posted as civil judge in Haryana and Monacha was a civil judge in Tis Hazari court in Delhi. Gakhar’s counsel Sahni, in the application has stated that that the marriage between the judge couple was solemnised on January 5, 2009 in Delhi. The couple, who qualified for Haryana Civil Services ( Judicial) in the year 2006 met for the first time during their training period in judicial academy Chandigarh. They got engaged, but broke up “due to the impulsive nature of Monacha”, said Gakhar.

Later Monacha assured that she will “mend her temperament” and both got married in January 2009.

However, Monacha left her husband’s home in Haryana after around three months and settled in Delhi after qualifying the Delhi Judicial Service exam. — IANS