Umer , I found out that the couple reached out to two molvi’s in the UK and both gave contradictory replies to them. So now someone has asked them to consult a certain Sheikh of senior authority in Saudi who will be able to guide them better .
Waise after reading some more ahadith on this topic, I agree to what you are saying .. the court proceedings very much follow the procedure that could lead to One divorce and not three all together ..