Marking the climax of the long-drawn family rift, former Kerala Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar and his estranged wife Yamini Thankachi today moved a joint divorce petition in the family court here.
Admitting the petition, the magistrate posted hearing for October 21 and suggested that they undergo counselling before that date as a final attempt to patch-up.
The joint move was anticipated as the couple had already reached an out-of-court settlement over the conditions for separation and Ganesh even openly expressed regret for the 'unsavoury' comments he had made against his wife.
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As part of the pact, Yamini also filed an application in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, seeking to withdraw the domestic violence petition she had filed against Ganesh.
An actor-turned politician and lone nominee of the Kerala Congress(B) in the Congress-led UDF ministry, Ganesh was forced to resign from the Oommen Chandy cabinet earlier this month after Yamini lodged a police complaint of domestic violence against him.
"I feel I got justice. I mainly thank Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and my father-in-law (R Balakrishna Pillai) for this," an emotionally charged Yamini told reporters while coming out of the court.