Pooja Mutneja Vs Arjun Mutneja — Contempt of Court | Delhi HC (2025)

Pooja Mutneja Vs Arjun Mutneja — Contempt of Court | Delhi HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Petition disposed of as not pressed, without prejudice to the petitioner's rights and contentions; liberty granted to file the petition afresh in case the need arises; all rights and contentions of the parties left open.

Issue for consideration

Whether the contempt petition should be pursued at this stage, given the respondent's stated reservations about terms of the amicable settlement, the Family Court's direction to report full and final settlement on 29.03.2025, and counsel's assurance that the differences would be ironed out by that date.

Ratio / Principle

The petitioner appears to have acted in haste; it is appropriate for her to wait until the next date of hearing fixed before the Family Court and see whether the matter can still be sorted out between the parties.

Key takeaways

On counsel for the petitioner stating that the petitioner intended to honour the settlement terms, would endeavour to iron out differences and would request the Family Court to intervene on 29.03.2025, and on his not pressing the petition, the Court disposed of the present petition as not pressed, granted liberty to file it afresh if the need arises, and left all rights and contentions of the parties open.ratio¶23

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Delhi High Court (Manoj Jain, J.) disposed of a contempt petition (CONT.CAS(C) 246/2025, with CM APPL. 9793/2025) arising out of a matrimonial maintenance settlement. During pendency of the wife's maintenance petition, the parties settled before the Counsellor on 18.11.2024 and their statements were recorded by the learned Judge, Family Court on the same day. By order dated 13.01.2025 the Family Court noted hiccups in the amicable settlement and listed the matter for 29.03.2025 for reporting full and final settlement, failing which argument on the IMA. Observing that the petitioner seemed to have acted in haste and that the respondent's reservations were to be sorted out by the next date, and recording counsel's statement that the petitioner intended to honour the settlement and would seek the Family Court's intervention on 29.03.2025, the Court disposed of the petition as not pressed, with liberty to file afresh if the need arises, leaving all rights and contentions of the parties open.

$~88

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

- CONT.CAS(C) 246/2025 & CM APPL. 9793/2025

POOJA MUTNEJA .....Petitioner

Through: Mr. Siddharth Joshi with Mr. Anshi Singhal, Mr. Aaditya Gupta and Ms. Ambareen, Advocates.

versus

ARJUN MUTNEJA .....Respondent Through: None

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ JAIN

O R D E R % 18.02.2025

Petitioner had filed a maintenance petition against her husband i.e. respondent herein.

During pendency of the matter, the parties entered into settlement before the Counsellor on 18.11.2024.

Such settlement terms were also brought before learned Judge, Family Court and the statement of parties were also recorded by learned Judge, Family Court on 18.11.2024.

Learned counsel for petitioner submits that despite there being specific settlement between them, respondent has backed out from the same, claiming there are certain hiccups in the terms.

This Court has seen order dated 13.01.2025 passed by learned Judge, Family Court which reads as under:-

“It is submitted by Learned Counsel(sic) for the respondent that there are certain hiccups in the amicable settlement reached between the

CONT.CAS(C) 246/2025

1

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 20/02/2025 at 12:08:50

parties and that it would be sorted out by the next date. List for reporting full and final settlement else for argument on IMA on 29-3-2025.”

Apparently, the respondent seems to have some reservation with respect to some terms of the amicable settlement and it was assured by learned counsel for respondent that these would be sorted out by next date i.e. 29.03.2025.

In view of the above, this Court is of the view that petitioner seems to have acted in a haste. It is appropriate for the petitioner to wait for the next date of hearing and to see whether the matter can still be sorted out between the parties or not.

After hearing arguments for some time, Mr. Joshi, learned counsel for petitioner submits that petitioner has every intention to honour the settlement terms and she would make endeavour to iron out the differences, if any, and would also request learned Judge, Family Court to intervene in the matter on the next date of hearing i.e. 29.03.2025 to ensure full and final settlement of the matter. He, therefore, prays that, without prejudice to rights and contentions of petitioner, he does not press the present petition at the moment. He, however, seeks liberty to file the petition afresh in case need so arises. 9. In view of the above, the present petition is disposed of as not pressed. Liberty, as prayed, is granted. 10. All rights and contentions of the parties are left open.

MANOJ JAIN, J

FEBRUARY 18, 2025/st

CONT.CAS(C) 246/2025

2

This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 20/02/2025 at 12:08:50