A metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai has held in its order that tennis legend Leander Paes committed various acts of domestic violence against his former partner Rhea Pillai.
According to the reports, the court held Leander Paes guilty of domestic violence charges and asked him to pay a monthly rent of Rs 50,000, in addition to monthly maintenance of Rs 1 lakh to Rhea Pillai if she chooses to leave their shared residence. Metropolitan magistrate Komalsing Rajput had passed the order earlier this month.
“There would be an additional increase of 5% every year, from the month of March 2023, so that Pillai shall not be compelled to knock on the doors of court again and again for enhancement of the amount of maintenance and house rent to meet the inflation, till the date up to which the said order remains in force,” added the court.
Model-turned-actor Rhea Pillai had filed a domestic violence case against Leander Paes in 2014, seeking relief and protection under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. Pillai had said that she was in a live-in relationship, akin to marriage, with Leander Paes for eight years.
She had claimed that Leander Paes had “caused verbal, emotional and economic abuse, which resulted in tremendous emotional violence and trauma” through his acts and conduct.
Hearing the plea, the magistrate said, “It is proved that the respondent caused various acts of domestic violence.”
However, the court added that the monetary relief would be available to Pillai only if she chooses to live separately and not continue to live in their shared residence at Bandra. The court also ordered Paes to pay an additional amount of Rs 1 lakh to cover legal fees and expenditures and asked him to pay for their daughter’s sustenance, education, and other essentials.
The magistrate said that with Leander Paes’ career in tennis almost over, it would cause ‘serious prejudice’ for making him pay maintenance to Rhea Pillai when living in a rented home.
