A 50-year-old woman, who had been missing for 18 years, was presented before the Madhya Pradesh High Court earlier this week, leading to the court imposing a penalty on her husband for filing a petition despite knowing that she had left due to his abusive behavior.

The woman informed the court on Wednesday that she had been forced to flee her matrimonial home with her two sons in 2006 to protect their lives.

Her husband, Nandkishore Rahangdale, had filed a petition last month requesting the police to locate her, claiming that she and their two sons, then aged 13 and 4, had mysteriously disappeared from Kharpadia village in Balaghat district on April 18, 2006. Despite lodging a police complaint a month later, their whereabouts remained unknown.

Following the petition, the High Court ordered the Balaghat Police on July 28 to locate the woman and her children. A special investigation team, led by Superintendent of Police Sameer Saurabh, managed to trace her by contacting around 70 people, including her relatives.

 The woman was then brought before the High Court in Jabalpur, where she revealed that she had fled to escape her husband's physical abuse, which tragically led to the death of her younger son, Mukund, shortly after their escape. The court took serious note of her allegations.

"The wife of the petitioner informed this court that her husband used to beat her and her sons mercilessly, therefore, she left his house in the year 2006," Justice Vishal Dhagat observed in his August 7 order.

"After considering the statement given by the wife of the petitioner, the petition is dismissed with a cost of ₹ 10,000. Petitioner is well aware of said facts and his brutality," the order read.

"She was not living with her husband for the last 18 years. Knowing said facts fully well, the petitioner has filed this petition abusing the process of court," the court said, adding that the police had to take the trouble of finding her for no reason.