Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan Suffers Cruelty by Wife, Granted Divorce

New Delhi: Granting divorce to Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and her estranged wife on Wednesday, a family court in Delhi said the cricketer is entitled to decree of divorce on the ground of cruelty.

The court dissolved their 11 years old marriage. The couple are not been living together as husband and wife since August 8, 2020.

“Respondent’s/ estranged wife intentional decision to leave this matter uncontested also shows her desire that the court should pass decree of divorce even at the cost of holding her guilty of the matrimonial offence as she knows that no harm could be caused to her even if she is held to have treated the petitioner with cruelty because she has already obtained sufficient favourable orders from the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Australia,” the court said.

The Court noted that Petitioner Dhawan has also prayed for the grant of permanent custody of his minor son submitting that it was morally, psychologically and mentally disastrous for the minor son to be with respondent who consistently acted detrimentally to his welfare right from his birth. Additionally, it has also been submitted that since a criminal case is pending against the respondent, said fact is an important factor weighing in favour of the petitioner.

Shikar Dhawan through plea stated that he discovered post-marriage that the primary reason for the respondent to induce the petitioner into marrying her was merely to extort crores of rupees from him. Shortly after the marriage, the respondent threatened to fabricate defamatory and false material against the petitioner and circulate the same to destroy the reputation and cricketing career of the petitioner if he did not comply with her demands for money.