SC asks fighter pilot, wife not to fight like enemies, settle dispute amicably

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Friday asked a decorated fighter pilot, part of the strike group that bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan's Balakot in 2019, and his wife, who are involved in a matrimonial dispute and have been making allegations against each other, to not see each other as an enemy and move ahead in life by amicably settling the issue.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the air force officer for quashing of an FIR lodged against him by his wife, an IIM pass out who is working with an IT firm. The officer, who had filed the petition through advocate Anshuman Singh, submitted that he, along with his family members, was a victim of continuous mental harassment at the hands of his wife and father-in-law, who, by misusing the law as a weapon of vengeance, were making every possible effort to ruin his life.

Observing the nature of the petition, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar said it was more like an enemy suit and asked the couple to amicably settle the dispute and move ahead in life.

'"Do not lead a life of revenge. Both of you are young and a long life is ahead of you and you should live a good life. You just forgive and forget each other and move ahead," the bench said.

The fighter pilot had moved SC after his plea for quashing of FIR was rejected by Punjab and Haryana high court.

The woman has been filing false complaints and cases before various courts in Delhi and at Namaul, Haryana, against the officer and his family members and when she could not get any relief from the courts, she resorted to repeatedly filing false complaints with senior officials of Indian Air Force as well as ministry of defence, the petition said. The FIR is nothing but a gross misuse of the process of law and it would be unfair in the interests of justice to continue with the criminal proceedings in the case, it added.