HC speeds up Chahal’s divorce, in light of IPL | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: Acknowledging Yuzvendra Chahal’s participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), the Bombay high court on Wednesday allowed a plea filed by the cricketer and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma to waive off the mandatory six-month cooling off period before divorce.

The court directed the family court to expedite the matter and finalise the divorce petition on March 20. Chahal will play for Punjab Kings in the tournament that starts on March 22.

The leg spinner married Verma in December 2020 and the couple separated in June 2022. Noting that the couple had been living separately for over two and a half years, the single-judge bench of justice Madhav Jamdar waived off the cooling period and issued a direction to the family court at Bandra to decide on the couple’s divorce before the start of the IPL.

“As the petitioner No 1 (Chahal) is a participant of IPL, the advocate informs that he may not be available post March 21. The family court is hence requested to decide their divorce plea by tomorrow (March 20)”, the bench said on Wednesday.

Chahal and Verma had filed a joint petition for divorce by mutual consent on February 5 before the family court. However, the court on February 20 had refused to entertain the waiving of the cooling period, considering the statutory provisions, which sets a mandatory six-month cooling-off period to be followed by couples seeking divorce under the provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act. The court also noted that that Chahal had only paid ₹2.37 crore to Verma, of the ₹4.75 crore alimony amount.

The high court on Wednesday observed that the consent terms stipulated that the second instalment of the alimony would be paid only after the decree of divorce. Therefore, it stated that the compliance had been adhered to.

“It is clear that there is no impediment in the facts and circumstances of the case in granting the applications”, it added. Accordingly, the court quashed the family court’s order issued on February 20 and allowed the petition.