Leander was busy holidaying with girlfriend: Pillai opposes his plea

Rhea Pillai has opposed the plea filed by her estranged live-in partner Leander Paes for condonation of delay of around seven months in filing appeal challenging a metropolitan magistrate court order to pay her monthly maintenance of ₹1 lakh to her

Mumbai Model-actor Rhea Pillai has opposed the plea filed by her estranged live-in partner, tennis star Leander Paes, for condonation of delay of around seven months in filing appeal challenging a metropolitan magistrate court order to pay her monthly maintenance of ₹1 lakh to her. All this time, she said, Paes was “callous” in filing the appeal and was holidaying with his girlfriend, Kim Sharma, and attending social events.

Leander Paes and Rhea Pillai before they parted ways (Hindustan Times)

The reply filed by Rhea Pillai, through advocate Sana Usman stated that the application was “devoid of any substantial and genuine grounds justifying the 7 months delay in filing the appeal” and “lacked bona-fides.”

“The applicant has been busy with his girlfriend and has been travelling with his girlfriend Kim Sharma to various holiday destinations and attending social events throughout the seven months when he failed to file the Appeal to the Order dated 11.2.2022,” stated the affidavit in reply filed by Pillai.

“The Applicant has falsely stated that he was busy taking care of his father and hence could not move the appeal in time. It is pertinent to note that the Applicant Leander Paes has submitted medical records of his father of the year 2020 and is using his father’s previous medical record to support a false claim to justify the delay in filing the appeal,” it added.

According to advocate Usman, Paes has moved the appeal around seven months after the statutory period of 30 days, provided under section 29 of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, ended.

The sessions court is slated to hear on January 12, Paes’ appeal, questioning the February 11 order of a metropolitan magistrate court at Bandra, ordering him to pay ₹1.50 lakh every month to his estranged live-in partner, model-actor Rhea Pillai.

Acting on a complaint filed by Pillai invoking provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (DV) Act, 2005, the magistrate court had on February 11 directed Paes to pay her monthly maintenance of ₹1 lakh and ₹50,000 towards house rent. She was also awarded additional amount of ₹1 lakh towards litigation cost.

Rhea, according to the magistrate court order, came in contact with the tennis player in October/November 2003 – two years after she started residing separately from her ex-husband, actor Sanjay Dutt. After dating for over a year, in 2005, Paes and Pillai started living together, though earlier marriage of the actor/model was in subsistence, and in 2006, the couple was blessed with a daughter. Pillai’s earlier marriage was formally dissolved only in 2008.

She in her DV complaint claimed that after birth of their daughter, Paes’ behaviour towards her changed and cracks started appearing in their relationship, and after the birth of their daughter, the intimacy was replaced by emotional violence.

She further alleged that Paes was having an illicit relation with another woman at Singapore and constantly traveling and stayed there and that she was cheated and betrayed by him at every juncture of their relationship, emotionally, physically and financially.

Paes had denied the allegations and questioned maintainability of Pillai’s application under provisions of the DV Act, contending that the complaint was not maintainable, as her earlier marriage was still in subsistence when she started living with him and therefore not entitled to reliefs under the DV Act, since their relationship was not akin to marriage – a requirement of domestic relationship under the enactment.

The magistrate court had, however, rejected the objection, observing that Paes was very well aware of her pending divorce proceedings and her marital status when he entered into relationship with Pillai, and in any case, continued the relationship even after her divorce in 2008.