The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah seeking divorce from his estranged wife Payal Abdullah, reported PTI.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had sought divorce from Payal Abdullah on the grounds of cruelty and desertion.

A division bench of Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Vikas Mahajan rejected the petition that challenged a family court order passed on August 30, 2016. The trial court had said that Omar Abdullah could not prove his claims of cruelty or desertion against Payal Abdullah.

The High Court also said that it agreed with the trial court observation that Omar Abdullah’s claims of cruelty, whether physical or mental, by his estranged wife were vague.

Omar Abdullah and Payal Abdullah married on September 1, 1994. They have been living separately since 2009. The politician contended in his plea that his marriage had broken down irretrievably and he had not had a conjugal relationship since 2007, reported Live Law.

Omar Abdullah said that the High Court’s decision to dismiss his plea was disappointing.

“The last two days have been deeply disappointing both personally and professionally but I refuse to give up and slink away,” he tweeted. “It’s that time of the year when I take some time to be with those I care about, to refresh, recharge and come back stronger.”

He was also referring to the Supreme Court verdict on Monday that had upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in 2019.