Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has brought closure to a protracted marital dispute by upholding a divorce between Dronamraju Vijaya Lakshmi and her husband, Dronamraju Srikanth Phani Kumar, and directing him to pay Rs 50 lakh as permanent alimony and maintenance.
The court treated this amount as a lump‑sum settlement covering all outstanding claims, including maintenance proceedings and property‑related issues, and made it payable within three months.
Once the amount is paid, the wife and daughter are barred from making further monetary claims against the husband’s properties, the court ordered.
A division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Justices K Lakshman and Narsing Rao Nandikonda agreed with the family court’s view that the marriage had suffered an irreparable breakdown after years of estrangement and litigation.
The couple, who married in 2002, began living separately soon after their daughter’s birth in 2003, and the dispute escalated into multiple criminal complaints under Section 498‑A of the IPC, maintenance petitions and a contest over a gift deed executed in favour of the daughter.
Divorce granted in 2015
The family court granted a divorce in 2015 on a petition filed by the husband on grounds of cruelty and desertion, while the wife’s plea for restitution of conjugal rights led to the present appeal.
In its judgment, the High Court observed that the relationship had reached a “point of no return” owing to the sheer volume of litigation, long separation and “mutual distrust” between the parties.
It noted that in the absence of trust, love, affection and a genuine intention to cohabit, compelling the spouses to resume conjugal life would only fuel further disputes.
The bench also recorded that despite the wife’s submissions about reunion for the sake of their daughter, she herself ultimately showed no real inclination to resume marital life after such a prolonged estrangement.
Court dismisses wife’s appeal, directs Rs 50 L alimony
Finding no scope for reconciliation, the court dismissed the wife’s appeal seeking restitution of conjugal rights and confirmed the divorce in favour of the husband, subject to the enhanced financial relief.
By directing the Rs 50 lakh lump‑sum payment and treating it as a comprehensive settlement, the High Court aimed to resolve not only the marital status of the parties but also the long‑pending financial and property disputes arising from their fractured relationship.
