Hon'ble DATTU, J.— Marriages are made in heaven, or so it is said. But we are more often than not made to wonder what happens to them by the time they descend down to earth. Though there is legal machinery in place to deal with such cases, these are perhaps the toughest for the courts to deal with. Such is the case presently before us.

2. The appellant-husband and the respondent-wife got married according to the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) in 1994, and are blessed with a daughter a year thereafter. Some time in the year 2000, due to differences in their temperaments, they began to live separately from each other and have been living thus ever since. Subsequently, in 2001, the parties filed a petition under Section 13B of the Act before the District Court, Gurgaon, for dissolution of the marriage by grant of a decree of divorce by mutual consent. However, before the stage of second motion and passing of the decree of divorce, the respondent withdrew her consent, and in view of this, the petition came to be dismissed by the Ld. Addl. District Judge, Gurgaon, though the appellant insisted for passing of the decree. The appellant, being aggrieved, has filed appeal No. F.A.O. No. 193 of 2003, before the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. The Learned Judge, by his well considered order, dismissed the appeal vide order dt. 08.11.2006. Being aggrieved by the same, the appellant is before us in this appeal.

3. We have heard the learned counsel for the parties and since the parties wanted to ventilate their grievances, we have heard them also.

4. The issues that arise for our consideration and decision are as under:

(a) Whether the consent once given in a petition for divorce by mutual consent can be subsequently withdrawn by one of the parties after the expiry of 18 months from the date of the filing of the petition in accordance with Section 13B(1) of the Act.

(b) Whether the Court can grant a decree of divorce by mutual consent when the consent has been withdrawn by one of the parties, and if so, under what circumstances.

5. In order to answer the issues that we have framed for our consideration and decision, Section 13B of the Act requires to be noticed :-

13B. Divorce by mutual consent. – (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act a petition for dissolution of marriage by a decree of divorce may be presented to the district court by both the parties to a marriage together, whether such marriage was solemnized before or after the commencement of the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act, 1976, (68 of 1976.) on the ground that they have been living separately for a period of one year or more, that they have not been able to live together and that they have mutually agreed that the marriage should be dissolved.

(2) On the motion of both the parties made not earlier than six months after the date of the presentation of the petition referred to in sub-section (1) and not later than eighteen months after the said date, if the petition is not withdrawn in the meantime, the court shall, on being satisfied, after hearing the parties and after making such inquiry as it thinks fit, that a marriage has been solemnized and that the averments in the petition are true, pass a decree of divorce declaring the marriage to be dissolved with effect from the date of the decree.

6. Admittedly, the parties had filed a petition for divorce by mutual consent expressing their desire to dissolve their marriage due to temperamental incompatibility on 17.08.2001. However, before the stage of second motion, the respondent withdrew her consent by filing an application dated 22.03.2003. The withdrawal of consent was after a period of eighteen months of filing the petition. The respondent, appearing in-person, submits that she was taken by surprise when she was asked by the appellant for divorce, and had given the initial consent under mental stress and duress. She states that she never wanted divorce and is even now willing to live with t