Mumbai, March 19, 2025: The Bombay High Court has set aside a Family Court decision that denied cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and choreographer Dhanashree Verma’s request to waive the statutory six-month cooling-off period for their mutual divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act.
A bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar has also directed the Family Court in Bandra to decide the divorce petition by tomorrow, considering Chahal’s commitments in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
Background of the Case
Chahal and Verma, who tied the knot in December 2020, have been living separately since June 2022. The couple filed for divorce on February 5, 2025, under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, which allows for mutual consent divorce. Along with their petition, they had also applied for a waiver of the mandatory six-month waiting period.
However, on February 20, the Family Court refused to grant the waiver, citing incomplete compliance with a consent agreement between the two. As per the agreement, Chahal had agreed to pay permanent alimony of ₹4.75 crore to Verma. Of this amount, ₹2.37 crore had already been paid, while the remaining sum was yet to be cleared.
The Family Court viewed the non-payment of the remaining amount as non-compliance and thus denied the waiver. However, the High Court has now overturned this decision, paving the way for a swift resolution of the divorce case.
