AHMEDABAD: A curious revenge game of cat and mouse is being played in family courts. Some couples file for divorce citing mutual consent, but one of the parties withdraws consent when the settlement amount is paid. The bitter half, having lost a large sum of money, stares at further litigation.

In one case of this kind, a Switzerland-based man, Ramesh Patel, transferred Rs 40 lakh — the mutually agreed settlement amount — into the bank account of his estranged wife, she withdrew consent leaving Patel in limbo. He now plans to move the Gujarat HC.

Another man, Sonil Kumar, sold his house in Daman to raise Rs 6.5 lakh for mutually agreed divorce. Once he paid his wife, Sulakshani, she said she did not wish to opt out of the marriage. The divorce plea has been rejected by the family court and Kumar may have to file another petition. Nilesh Bhavsar, an advocate, says such problems occur in cases where one of the parties wishes to settle scores with the other.

(Names changed to protect identities)

