These notes are written for litigants and for younger members of the Bar. They explain procedure as it operates in the Delhi courts — the sequence of steps, the timelines that matter, and the points at which a matter is commonly lost. They are general information, not advice on any particular case.
Mental Disorder as a Divorce Ground – Advocate Manish Jha
Section 13(1)(iii) HMA demands a disorder of such kind and degree that cohabitation cannot reasonably be expected. What the ground requires, how it is proved, and the neighbouring annulment and cruelty provisions.
Read → 2 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyVoid or Voidable: Annulment Under HMA – Advocate Manish Jha
A void marriage is a nullity from the start; a voidable one stands until annulled. The grounds, the one-year bars, children's legitimacy under Section 16 and the strategic choice between annulment and divorce.
Read → 1 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMaintenance Has No Deadline – Advocate Manish Jha
The Karnataka High Court holds that Section 125 CrPC prescribes no limitation period, setting aside a Family Court order that dismissed a wife's claim filed 21 years after abandonment.
Read → 1 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyMother-in-Law Not Liable u/s 125 – Advocate Manish Jha
The Telangana High Court quashes Section 125 CrPC proceedings against a mother-in-law, holding the provision creates no statutory liability towards a widowed daughter-in-law or her children.
Read → 1 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDV Act Needs a Domestic Relationship – Advocate Manish Jha
The Kerala High Court quashes DV Act proceedings against a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, holding that a domestic relationship with shared living is the foundational requirement for arraying respondents.
Read → 1 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyA Wish Is Not Cruelty – Advocate Manish Jha
The Jharkhand High Court upholds dismissal of a husband's divorce petition, holding that a wife's mere wish that he live as gharjamai, without compulsion, does not amount to cruelty under the HMA.
Read → 1 October 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyThe Court Must First Try Peace – Advocate Manish Jha
Before decreeing divorce, courts must attempt reconciliation under Section 23(2) HMA and the Family Courts Act. What the duty requires, its exceptions, and how the referral machinery works in Delhi.
Read → 30 September 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyClaimed Expenses Are Not a Decree – Advocate Manish Jha
Delhi High Court refuses to enhance ₹15,000 interim maintenance, holding that every claimed expense does not automatically become payable maintenance and revision needs perversity.
Read → 30 September 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyDenying the Marriage Did Not Work – Advocate Manish Jha
Allahabad High Court upholds maintenance where the husband called the marriage forged: a certified certificate and photographs sufficed, and up to 25% of net salary is a safe measure.
Read → 30 September 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyHis Own Deeds Sank the Divorce – Advocate Manish Jha
Himachal Pradesh High Court dismisses a husband's divorce appeal where compromise deeds he signed admitted beating his wife and denying her basic facilities — his cruelty, not hers.
Read → 30 September 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilySettled, Divorced, Quashed – Advocate Manish Jha
Delhi High Court quashes a 498A/406 FIR after a ₹40 lakh settlement and mutual consent divorce, with the final ₹10 lakh instalment handed over in court.
Read → 30 September 2026 · Matrimonial & FamilyResidence Rights, Wrong Respondent – Advocate Manish Jha
A Delhi trial court orders a daughter-in-law to vacate her mother-in-law's self-acquired flat: the DV Act residence right is the husband's obligation to provide.
Read →What Is Covered Here
The chamber writes on the areas in which it appears: criminal procedure under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, bail practice, matrimonial and family proceedings before the Delhi Family Courts, cheque dishonour and recovery, and proceedings before the NCLT and the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals. Notes on reported judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi are published with a link to the official text of the decision, so that a reader can verify the position rather than rely on a summary.
No article on this page identifies a client or discusses a pending matter conducted by the chamber. Where a statutory provision is cited, the section number is given so that a reader can verify it against the bare Act.