Mumbai Court Grants Leander Paes’ Request in Domestic Violence Case
In a recent development, a Sessions court in Mumbai has granted former tennis player Leander Paes’ plea for “condonation of delay” in filing an appeal against a magistrate’s court order. This order pertains to a domestic violence case initiated by his former live-in partner, Rhea Pillai.
The court’s decision came with a stipulation: Paes must remit a payment of Rs. 20,000 to Rhea Pillai within the next month.
Earlier, in February 2022, the magistrate’s court had ruled that Paes had committed several acts of domestic violence against Pillai. Consequently, he was directed to pay a monthly maintenance of Rs. 1 lakh to her. Additionally, the court had instructed Paes to pay a monthly rent of Rs. 50,000 to Pillai, provided she vacates his Carter Road residence in Bandra West within a span of two months.
“Condonation of delay” is a legal term that refers to an exception where courts or other legal bodies cannot dismiss appeals filed by a party solely due to a delay in filing the suit. As per the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, the standard period for lodging an appeal is 30 days under Section 29.
Last November, Paes had approached the sessions court, seeking to quash the lower court’s order. He had also submitted an application for condonation of delay in filing the appeal against the magistrate court’s decision from February 2022. In response, Pillai contested this plea, stating it was
“devoid of any substantial and genuine grounds”
to account for the seven-month delay in filing an appeal.
This case has garnered significant attention, shedding light on the complexities of domestic violence cases and the legal intricacies surrounding them.
