Leander Paes in hot waters, Bombay High court accept petition filed by Rhea Pillai

Rhea Pillai was in a live-in relationship with Paes and filed a domestic violence against him and his father in 2013

The long-drawn legal battle between Rhea Pillai and Leander Paes, which began in 2013, took a new turn as Bombay High Court has admitted the plea of Rhea Pillai seeking review of the Sessions court’s order which had ruled that her live-in relationship with noted tennis player Leander Paes was not that of his wife.

Rhea had started living in with Paes much before divorcing actor Sanjay Dutt in 2008. The two were never officially married. They have a 10-year-old daughter together, whose custody Paes has been seeking. However, Senior lawyer Abad Ponda, appearing for Paes, opposed the plea of Rhea and argued that stay should not be granted on the proceedings in the family court.

Justice A M Badar refused to grant interim relief to Rhea for staying the proceedings in a family court, where the couple is fighting a legal battle over maintenance and custody of their 10-year-old daughter, Aiyana Paes.

In 2013, Pillai filed a domestic violence case against Paes and his father. The Magistrate decided that, although the pair wasn’t married, Pillai was living in with Paes as his wife, and the case could, therefore, be heard by the court.

However, not satisfied with the order of the Magistrate, Paes went to the Sessions Court, which eventually ruled in his favour. Pillai then approached the Bombay High Court in an attempt to challenge the Sessions Court’s order. The matter would come up again for hearing in due course.

In June this year, the HC had asked Rhea-Paes to sit down together and work out a courteous solution, but they failed to arrive at a settlement.