Allahabad High Court Affirms Divorce Authority Solely With Family Courts

The Allahabad High Court asserted that Lok Adalats and district legal services cannot issue divorce decrees, reserving such authority exclusively for family courts. The court's decision stems from a case where a man misinterpreted a settlement as a divorce decree. The court instructed stricter adherence to jurisdictional mandates.

The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench has formally declared that the power to grant divorce lies exclusively with family courts, denying this capacity to Lok Adalats and district legal service authorities.

The court's decision follows a petition challenging a district legal authority order perceived as a divorce decree. This judgment, stressing that Lok Adalats can only facilitate settlements, reminds all legal authorities to stay within their jurisdictional boundaries.

The ruling, emphasizing the legal discrepancy, aims to prevent misinterpretations of settlement agreements as divorce decrees, as occurred in this case. The court has directed that all relevant legal bodies adhere strictly to this jurisdictional limitation.

Highlighting the importance of Lok Adalats in facilitating justice, the High Court nonetheless emphasized their role must not exceed statutory boundaries, reinforcing that divorce-related matters are reserved for duly empowered family courts alone.