New Delhi, Jan 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Supreme Court Thursday attempted to mediate between art patron Poonam Jaidev Shroff, and industrialist husband Jaidev Shroff, who once dominated the Page 3 circles in Mumbai, by assuring the wife that it is "concerned with a roof over her head."
The couple has been in the throes of serious criminal and bizarre allegations against each other, as they navigate through their divorce proceedings. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant observed that it's not conducive to allow the wife to live in the shared household.
In April 2016, the family court in Mumbai had issued an order banning Poonam's entry into her Pali Hill residence. She moved the Bombay High Court with an appeal against this order. The Bombay High Court had allowed Poonam access into Jaidev's house for two hours. In 2017, the apex court in an interim order said her representative can pay a visit to her matrimonial home in Pali Hill to collect her passport and personal belongings.
The apex court was hearing the matrimonial dispute between the couple where wife has expressed willingness to continue residing at the couple's posh Pali Hill home. She claimed her husband is on the list of 500 richest people in the world. Jaidev has offered Rs 90 crore as settlement.
The bench queried Poonam's counsel, "This demand for the house is a problem, take Rs 90 crore and live wherever you want." Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Jaidev, said his client is willing to pay the rent of the house. The allegations in the matrimonial dispute have become increasingly dramatic as the high-profile criminal case reaches its crescendo with intense arguments breaking out in the court over the choice of premises and its size.
The Chief Justice told senior advocate P Chidambaram, representing Poonam, "Move to a house of your choice on rent...in six months divorce will be settled." Another senior counsel representing Poonam said the couple was living together until some apprehensions of Bengali Baba popped up. "Can a mother and daughter be kept out of their matrimonial house? The daughter is 13-year-old."
The Chief Justice told the wife's counsel, "You need to work it out, we ordered mediation twice but it did not work...We are concerned about the roof over your head at this stage, and make a choice to rent a house."
The Chief Justice emphasized that the court is willing to record that she wants to relocate to a premises of her choice, and this arrangement will continue till the disposal of the couple's divorce petition before a family court. The court also asked husband's counsel to pay the rent for the premises of her choice equivalent to the current residence. The apex court has listed the matter after two weeks.
Jaidev is the executive director of United Phosphorous. In 2015, he filed a divorce suit against his wife on grounds of cruelty against him and his two daughters from his first wife. He got separated from first wife in 2000 and married Poonam in 2005.
Source: IANS
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