Credit: Twitter

Credit: Twitter

Mumbai sessions court has permitted Indian tennis great Leander Paes for "condonation of delay" in filing his appeal against a magistrate’s court order in the domestic violence case filed by his former live-in partner Rhea Pillai. The Additional Sessions Judge RK Kshirsagar allowed the application on the condition that Paes pay INR 20,000 to Pillai within one month.


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A condonation of delay is an exception where the courts or other bodies cannot reject the appeal of a party on the ground that there is a delay in filing the suit. In February 2022, the magistrate's court revealed that Paes committed various acts of domestic violence against Pillai. The court had then directed him to pay monthly maintenance of Rs 1 lakh to her.


The court also asked Paes to pay INR 50,000 to Pillai as monthly rent on the condition that she would leave his flat in Bandra West within two months. In November last year, Paes presented an application before the sessions court hoping to quash and set aside the lower court's order. He also put forth a condonation of delay in filing the appeal to the magistrate court's order passed in February 2022.


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Pillai had opposed the plea and described it to be "devoid of any substantial and genuine grounds" as justification for the seven-month delay in filing an appeal. The statutory period for filing an appeal is 30 days under Section 29 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005.