Delhi HC urges family court to prioritize timely resolution of matrimonial disputes

A bench of Justice Navin Chawla, while advancing a matrimonial case scheduled for October 18 to August 8, said that long adjournments are unnecessary, especially given the volume of pending matrimonial cases.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has said that family courts should refrain from granting long adjournments while directing parties in a matrimonial dispute to a court counsellor for a potential settlement between them.

A bench of Justice Navin Chawla, while advancing a matrimonial case scheduled for October 18 to August 8, said that long adjournments are unnecessary, especially given the volume of pending matrimonial cases.

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With nearly 4,000 matrimonial cases awaiting resolution, the court urged a warranted approach to the proceedings involving court counsellors.

“Even though the order records that there are approximately 4,000 matrimonial cases of various nature pending before the learned Family Court, such a long adjournment is still not warranted,” the judge said, adding that the court has to keep a watch on the petition/counseling proceedings that take place before the court counsellor on a regular basis, and such watch cannot happen if the court adjourns the matter for such a long date.

The case is of a husband looking for the disposal of his divorce petition within a reasonable timeframe. The family court had referred the parties to a court counsellor to explore the possibility of arriving at an amicable resolution and postponed further proceedings until October 18. It is the husband’s case that an amicable settlement was unlikely, making such a lengthy adjournment unnecessary. The wife’s counsel took no objection with advancing of the hearing date.

Justice Chawla said that family courts should avoid long adjournments when referring parties to a court counsellor. He urged the family court to avoid unwarranted adjournments and prioritise a swift adjudication of the case.