A metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai has held Leander Paes guilty of domestic violence against his former partner model-actor Rhea Pillai. Rhea had filed a domestic violence case against Paes in 2014 seeking relief and protection against domestic violence. The court has directed the tennis champion to pay monthly rent of Rs 50,000, apart from monthly maintenance of Rs 1 lakh to Rhea if she chooses to leave their shared residence.
As per reports, metropolitan magistrate Komalsing Rajput passed the order earlier this month which has been public on Wednesday. The magistrate in her order said, “It is proved that the respondent caused various acts of domestic violence." Rhea had claimed that Paes through his acts and conduct "caused verbal, emotional and economic abuse, which resulted in tremendous emotional violence and trauma". She also said that they were living in a live-in relationship for eight years which was akin to marriage. The court said, “Considering the facts admitted by (Paes)... it can be said that (Pillai) succeeded in proving allegations constituting emotional and economic violence... burden shifts on (Paes) to prove counter.”
The magistrate said that instead of denying the allegations, Paes preferred to justify his acts by putting forward his own version about facets, including desertion, adultery, non-payment of expenses, hacking of computer and presence of other people in the house. However, it said with Paes’ tennis career “almost over” it would cause “serious prejudice” to order him to live in a rented home while also paying maintenance to Rhea.
(Source: PTI)
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