The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s plea challenging its circular of April mandating that both parties in a case have to agree for the final hearing to be taken up early via video conferencing mode.
Omar had contended that his matrimonial appeal against a 2016 trial court order, which dismissed his divorce petition, has been listed for final hearing since February 2017.
It was not taken up during the restricted functioning of the courts in view of COVID19 pandemic as his estranged wife, Payal Abdullah, did not give consent to virtual proceedings. Due to the lack of cooperation by his estranged wife the matter was getting delayed, Abdullah said.
A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad, however, declined to grant any relief saying lack of cooperation of his estranged wife was not a ground for challenging the High Court’s April 26 office order.
“Simply because the respondent 2 herein (Payal Abdullah) was not consenting to an early hearing, can hardly be a ground to assail the office order. The petition is dismissed as meritless,” the bench said.