IN THE COURT OF THE FAMILY COURT, PANCHKULA
HMA No. 118 of 2026
APPLICATION UNDER SECTION 13-B(2) OF THE HINDU MARRIAGE ACT, 1955, FOR WAIVER OF THE STATUTORY PERIOD, READ WITH AMARDEEP SINGH v. HARVEEN KAUR, (2017) 8 SCC 746
IN THE MATTER OF
Vikram Chopra, resident of House No. 1103, Sector 15, Panchkula 134113 ... APPLICANT NO. 1
AND
Ritika Chopra, resident of House No. 340, Sector 9, Panchkula 134109 ... APPLICANT NO. 2
MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH:
- 1. That the Applicants presented the first motion of their joint petition for divorce by mutual consent under section 13-B(1) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 before this Hon'ble Court on 1 April 2026, registered as HMA No. 118 of 2026.
- 2. That before presenting the first motion, the Applicants had already lived separately for Two years and four months, well in excess of the one-year minimum required by section 13-B(1) of the Act.
- 3. That All disputes between the parties, including alimony and division of joint property, were finally settled and recorded in the first motion petition, and nothing remains outstanding between them.
- 4. That The parties, together with their respective families, made genuine efforts at reconciliation over several months before the first motion, without success, and there is no likelihood of reconciliation between them.
- 5. That the Hon'ble Supreme Court, in Amardeep Singh v. Harveen Kaur, (2017) 8 SCC 746, has held that the period of six months prescribed by sub-section (2) of section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 is directory and not mandatory, and that it may be waived where the Court is satisfied that the parties have genuinely settled their differences, that there is no likelihood of reconciliation, and that they have already lived separately for a period exceeding the statutory minimum before the first motion, so as to shorten the period of their agony.
- 6. That Continuing the statutory waiting period would only prolong the agony of the parties without any possibility of reconciliation, and both parties wish to move forward with their separate lives at the earliest.
- 7. That this application is filed in the State of Punjab, in the same proceeding as the first motion referred to above.
PRAYER
It is therefore most respectfully prayed that this Hon'ble Court may be pleased to waive the period of six months prescribed by sub-section (2) of section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and permit the Applicants to move the second motion of their joint petition before the expiry of that period.
Through Counsel: Rajeev Malhotra, Advocate
APPLICANT NO. 1 APPLICANT NO. 2
VERIFICATION
Verified at Panchkula on 2 April 2026 that the contents of paragraphs 1 to 7 of this application are true and correct to our respective knowledge, that no part of it is false and that nothing material has been concealed therefrom.