Divorce in 20 minutes: Indian bride walks out on Suhagraat
In a wedding that lasted longer on paper than it did in practice, a marriage in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh came to an abrupt end within 20 minutes of the bride reaching her in-laws’ home.
The couple, identified as Vishal Madhesia, who helps his father run a general store in Bhaluani, and Pooja of Salempur, married on November 25 after months of planning.
The baraat reached the bride’s house by about 7 pm, the rituals were completed that night ,and the bidaai took place according to the custom.
However, the celebratory mood quickly evaporated. After arriving at her new home and being escorted into her room, Pooja emerged about 20 minutes later and announced in the courtyard, amid relatives and guests, that she did not wish to live with her husband.
UP Deoria: Bride Pooja spent just 20 mins at in-laws' house, refused to stay, demanded divorce. After 5-hr talks, groom Vishal signed divorce papers same night instead of suhaagraat. pic.twitter.com/Kg73Xqie7C
— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) December 1, 2025
At first, family members thought she was joking; when pressed, she remained silent about her reasons and repeatedly said “Call my parents. I will not live here.”
Attempts by Vishal’s family to placate her failed.
The matter was escalated the next day when a village panchayat convened; both families and local residents negotiated for nearly five hours on November 26.
With no resolution forthcoming, the panchayat advised the couple to separate.
A written agreement was drawn up declaring the marriage ended by mutual consent and permitting both parties to remarry; it also stipulated the return of gifts and money exchanged during the wedding.
Pooja returned to her parents’ home at around 6pm that day. Vishal told reporters that Pooja had displayed no prior reluctance before the wedding and that he had suffered embarrassment for both families; he opted not to file a police complaint.
The incident quickly went viral, spawning a mix of reactions online – from supportive voices praising the quick decision as preferable to a strained marriage, to critics calling for penalties and accusing people of treating marriage lightly.
Witty netizens dubbed it a "Trial Version Shaadi", where one can unsubscribe from it within minutes.
