SC Dissolves Marriage Over Dowry Dispute Involving 1951 Rolls Royce
Key Points
The feud began when the wife alleged that her husband and his family demanded the antique Rolls-Royce and a flat in Mumbai as dowry.
New Delhi, Sep 6: The Supreme Court has dissolved the marriage of a couple embroiled in a dispute over a vintage 1951 Rolls-Royce car, which costs more than Rs 2.5 crores at present. First Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru originally ordered the car for the former 'maharani' of Baroda.
A three-judge Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, exercising the powers given to the court under Article 142 of the Constitution of India, ordered that there will be no relationship, matrimonial or otherwise, between the couple hitherto and ended all the legal battles between the pair. Moreover, the husband will pay rupees 2.25 crore to the wife to settle all claims between them.
According to the agreement between the parties, the woman will keep the gifts that she has received from the husband and his family, whereas the man will return all gifts that he and his family have received, including the engagement ring, achkan buttons, and 10 gram ginni. For now, the man has handed over a rupee one crore bank draft and the gifts to the woman and agreed to pay the rest, rupees 1.25 crore, by November 30.
The woman, a permanent resident of Gwalior, claimed that she belongs to a highly reputed family whose ancestor was an admiral in the navy of Chhatarpati Shivaji Maharaj and was declared the ruler of the Konkan region, and the man belongs to a family of Army background and runs an educational institution in Madhya Pradesh.
The feud began when the wife alleged that her husband and his family demanded the antique Rolls-Royce and a flat in Mumbai as dowry. When she could not meet their demands, they started denying the marriage, making false accusations, and making malicious remarks about her personal character.
The woman had earlier lodged a case for dowry harassment and cruelty in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. But the High Court dismissed her dowry case. Then she appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court facilitated a mediated settlement and brought the case to a final close.
(The article is written by Saijyoti Banita Priyadarshini )
