The Supreme Court directed the Bandra family court to conclude the long-pending divorce case of Jaidev and Poonam Shroff within three months. The bench warned that “if any party delays the proceedings then an adverse inference can be drawn.”
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed strong concern over the long delay in deciding a high-profile divorce case that has been pending since 2015.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai, Justice N V Anjaria and Justice Alok Aradhe observed that the family court had taken nearly nine months just to proceed with the matter. The bench underlined that such family disputes must be decided quickly to avoid prolonged suffering for both parties.
The court noted that despite its earlier directions, the case was still dragging on.
Referring to the delay, the Chief Justice said,
“If any party delays the proceedings then an adverse inference can be drawn against that party.”
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for businessman Jaidev Shroff, informed the bench about the long duration of the ongoing dispute.
Earlier, on December 3, 2021, the Supreme Court had specifically instructed the family court to speed up the divorce trial. However, the directions were not followed in time. Later, on March 18, 2024, the bench once again recorded that almost 2.3 years had passed without a conclusion.
It directed the Bandra family court judge to make all efforts to finish the matter quickly. The top court said the case should be disposed of
“as expeditiously as possible and preferably within a period of six months.”
The dispute is between industrialist Jaidev Shroff and his estranged wife Poonam Shroff. Earlier, Poonam had moved the court asking for two reliefs – either she should be allowed to live with her estranged husband in their posh matrimonial home in Mumbai or she should be paid Rs 35.37 lakh per month to stay on rent outside.
The Supreme Court had rejected both these pleas of Poonam. During the proceedings, Singhvi told the court that his client was ready to pay Rs 90 crore towards the full and final settlement of the divorce dispute, but the offer was not agreed upon.
The matter will now continue before the Bandra family court in Mumbai, with the Supreme Court making it clear that no further delay will be tolerated.
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