Alimony from First Marriage Can't Affect Second Divorce Settlement: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled that alimony from a woman’s first divorce cannot impact alimony decisions in a second divorce.

In this case, the husband claimed his wife shouldn't get further alimony since she received a fair settlement earlier. Rejecting this, the Court noted each marriage must be assessed independently. Exercising powers under Article 142, it dissolved the marriage citing irretrievable breakdown.

The Court found the husband's offer of a ₹4 crore Mumbai flat reasonable, given his current unemployment and care duties for an autistic child.

The Court rejected the wife’s excessive ₹12 crore demand, stating the flat was sufficient compensation. It also quashed vague domestic violence charges under Section 498A IPC.