Delhi Court Invalidates Dhawan's Australian Property Settlement

A Delhi family court has ruled in favor of former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, declaring invalid a property settlement from an Australian court in his divorce case and ordering his ex-wife, Aesha Mukherji, to return approximately 5.7 crore rupees, equivalent to AU 894,397, plus interest. The decision, handed down on February 25 by Judge Devender Kumar Garg at Patiala House Courts, marks a key resolution in the couple's protracted cross-border legal dispute.

The court accepted Dhawan's claims that the Australian settlement documents were executed under duress, including threats to damage his reputation and cricket career, as well as coercion and fraud. It held that the foreign orders, which divided the couple's global assets, could not be enforced in India because they conflicted with principles under the Hindu Marriage Act and Indian public policy. The marriage, solemnized and registered in Delhi in October 2012, placed jurisdiction firmly within Indian law, the court stated. Dhawan's participation in the Australian proceedings was not considered voluntary submission to that jurisdiction, given the alleged pressure.

Specifically, the ruling requires Mukherji to repay AU...