Overview

• A Supreme Court bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi upheld the Gauhati High Court’s 2022 ruling that only civil courts can dissolve a marriage registered under the Christian Marriage Act, 1872.
• The court stated it had “absolutely no sympathy” for Changsan and challenged him to find a way for Neikhol to “start life afresh.”
• It ordered him to buy flight tickets to Bengaluru, secure accommodation near his elder daughter and pay an ad hoc ₹3 lakh to enable their reunion.
• Neikhol alleges Changsan manipulated their daughter into estrangement, while the ambassador maintains he provides ₹20,000 in monthly maintenance and a house in Delhi.
• The Kuki Inpi has affirmed that customary tribal law cannot annul a church marriage or compel spouses to reunite against their wishes.