26. The Women’s Charter is amended by inserting, immediately after section 168 thereof, the following section: —
“Saving for petitions presented before commencement of Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1979
169.—(1) The Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1979, (including the repeals and amendments made by it) shall not have effect in relation to any petition for divorce, judicial separation, for a decree of nullity or for a decree of presumption of death and dissolution of the marriage presented before the commencement of that Act.
(2) Without prejudice to any provision of this Act, neither collusion nor any other conduct on the part of the petitioner which has at any time been a bar to relief in matrimonial proceedings shall constitute a bar to the grant of a decree nisi of divorce, a decree of judicial separation, a decree of nullity or a decree of presumption of death and dissolution of the marriage, whether the marriage took place, or the proceedings were instituted, before or after the commencement of the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1979, and the court shall not be required to dismiss an application for a decree nisi of divorce to be made absolute on the ground of collusion between the parties in connection with the presentation or prosecution of the petition for divorce or the obtaining of the decree nisi or on the ground of any conduct on the part of the petitioner.”.
