The Patna High Court in this case clarified the meaning of “living separately” under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act. The parties filed for mutual divorce claiming they had been living separately for over one year. However, the husband admitted that they had resumed conjugal relations shortly before filing the petition. The Court held that “living separately” does not merely mean physical separation. It means cessation of marital relationship, including absence of conjugal relations and intention not to resume cohabitation. Even if parties live in different places, continuation of marital relations would mean they are not “living separately” in the legal sense. In this case, the admitted resumption of conjugal relations broke the required one-year continuous separation period. Since Section 13B mandates uninterrupted separation for one year immediately before filing, the statutory condition was not fulfilled. The Court also emphasised that admissions by a party carry strong evidentiary value and can override general pleadings. Accordingly, it upheld the Family Court’s decision rejecting the petition. However, it allowed the parties to file a fresh petition after satisfying the legal requirements.