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News Topical, Digital Desk : The Supreme Court has dissolved the marriage of an estranged couple whose relationship had soured over a 1951 Rolls Royce car commissioned by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the then "Maharani" of Baroda. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi recorded the settlement between the parties, according to which the man will pay Rs 2.25 crore to the woman, and all claims between them will be settled.
The woman will keep her husband's gifts with her
"We dissolve the marriage between the petitioner and respondent no. 1 (husband). No relationship, whether marital or otherwise, shall exist between them," the bench said on August 29. As per the agreement, the man will pay Rs 1 crore by August 31 and the remaining Rs 1.25 crore will be paid by November 30. Under the arrangement, the woman will keep the gifts given by her husband and the husband will return all gifts given to her and her family, such as engagement ring and other valuables, which he will hand over along with a demand draft of Rs 1 crore.
warned not to defame each other
Cancelling all the cases between them, the bench considered it a "full and final" settlement. After the separation, the apex court cautioned the parties not to defame each other in any form, including on social media.
What is the whole matter?
The woman, who lives in Gwalior, claimed that she belongs to a very prestigious family, whose ancestors were admirals in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's navy and were declared the ruler of the Konkan region. On the other hand, her husband belongs to a family of military officers and runs an educational institution in Madhya Pradesh. This is a handmade classic Rolls Royce car of 1951 model, which is the same model till date. Its current price is more than Rs 2.5 crore. This car, ordered by Nehru for the then Maharani of Baroda, became the main reason for the controversy.
The woman claimed that her estranged husband and in-laws constantly harassed her by demanding a Rolls Royce car and a flat in Mumbai as dowry. However, the husband denied the allegation. In her petition, the woman said, "The High Court failed to consider that respondent no. 1 and 2 (husband and father-in-law of the woman) had a malafide intention from the very beginning in demanding the Rolls Royce car, which is a one of a kind car and has been handcrafted by 'HJ Mulliner & Co' for Maharani Baroda Chimna Bai Sahib Gaekwad.
The woman said in the petition that it was ordered by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on her behalf. According to the petition, "When the demands of the respondents were not met, they started refusing to marry and started making false and frivolous allegations against the petitioner and started assassinating her character." Referring to the order of the High Court dated December 5, 2023, the petition said, "...it is clear that respondents 1 (husband) and 2 (father-in-law) have shown their attachment towards the Rolls Royce car of the father of the petitioner (woman) and in this context they expected to get the said car as a gift and in relation to the flat in Mumbai and non-fulfillment of this demand of dowry was the main reason for not taking the petitioner to her in-laws' house."
After the Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed the dowry and cruelty case against the woman's husband, the dispute of the estranged couple reached the Supreme Court. On the other hand, the husband had filed a case against the estranged wife, her parents and his in-laws for cheating and forgery in preparing the marriage certificate. The apex court had earlier appointed senior advocate and former Kerala High Court judge R Basant as mediator in the case.
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