Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, in a divorce by mutual consent, if the petition is not withdrawn,…

Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act requires the court to hear the parties and make such inquiry as it thinks fit before being "satisfied" of solemnisation and the petition’s averments. A decree is not automatic merely because no withdrawal occurred; non-registration alone does not invalidate the marriage, and private arbitration does not dissolve marital status.