The Supreme Court of India has delivered a significant ruling in the protracted and high-profile divorce battle between Poonam Shroff and her estranged husband, Jaidev Shroff, the global CEO of agrochemical giant UPL Ltd. The apex court dismissed three special leave petitions filed by Poonam Shroff and directed her to pay Rs 5 lakh as costs to a state-run orphanage in Maharashtra, criticizing the "egos of the parties" for dragging out the litigation.
A Decade-Long Legal Battle and Supreme Court's Stern View
In a recent order, a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria described the case as a "classic case where a matrimonial dispute proceeded at a snail's pace on account of the egos of the parties." The court observed that the dispute serves as a mirror to how high such battles can reach. The Supreme Court expressed its frustration, stating that the "parties seem more interested in multiplying litigation than putting an end to the saga."
The bench, which also included then CJI Bhushan Gavai and Justice Alok Aradhe, had earlier on August 29 granted a final three-month extension to the Mumbai family court to decide the pending divorce petition. This came after the family court itself had requested a nine-month extension to resolve the dispute, which began with a divorce petition filed by Jaidev Shroff in October 2015.
Key Legal Challenges and the Rs 1000 Crore Alimony Claim
Poonam Shroff had challenged a Bombay High Court order passed by Justice Manjusha Deshpande. The High Court had refused to interfere with a January 2025 order of the Mumbai family court in Bandra, which had declined her plea to consolidate proceedings. She had sought to club her maintenance plea with her husband's divorce petition.
The High Court, and subsequently the Supreme Court, found no error in the family court's decision. The courts noted that the evidence in the husband's divorce proceedings had substantially progressed, while the wife's maintenance proceedings were still at a nascent stage. They ruled that the issues in both proceedings were governed by different laws and the cause of action was not the same, making consolidation "undesirable and impractical."
In a dramatic turn, on March 18, 2024, the same day the SC directed the family court to decide the divorce plea within six months, Poonam Shroff filed an application seeking permanent alimony of Rs 1,000 crore within the ongoing divorce proceedings.
Timeline and Consequences of Protracted Litigation
The Supreme Court meticulously examined the history of the litigation, appreciating the "painstaking" order of the High Court judge who traced it. Key milestones include:
- October 6, 2015: Jaidev Shroff files for divorce in Bandra Family Court, Mumbai.
- December 3, 2021: SC directs the family court to expedite the divorce hearing.
- July 7, 2023: Poonam Shroff files a plea for maintenance.
- March 18, 2024: SC again directs expedited hearing; wife files Rs 1000 crore alimony claim.
In its final order, the Supreme Court noted that the petitioner appeared "more interested in protracting the proceedings under the guise of espousing her justified cause." The court gave her two weeks to pay the Rs 5 lakh cost, failing which the state has been given liberty to recover the amount from her as arrears of land revenue. This ruling underscores the judiciary's growing impatience with litigation strategies that delay the resolution of long-pending personal disputes.
