In a major breakthrough in the divorce case of Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma, the Bombay High Court has decided in favor of exempting the mandatory six-month cooling period mandated under the Hindu Marriage Act. This ruling will expedite the divorce case, which had been languishing since February 2025.
The pair, who tied the knot in December 2020, had been apart since June 2022. Having spent over two years of their lives leading separate lives, they chose to petition for a divorce by consent in February 2025. However, the cooling-off period of six months, which is stipulated under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act, was initially a hurdle in the case. This period is designed to give couples time to explore the possibility of reconciliation.
While this period is typically upheld, in this case, the Bombay High Court found that it did not apply. The couple had been living apart for more than two years, and the court acknowledged that the cooling-off period was unnecessary in this scenario. Given Chahal’s participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, which begins on March 22, the court directed that the family court decide the divorce petition by March 20. The court decided to waive the cooling-off period after the couple’s request was earlier rejected by the family court.
One of the most important parts of the case is the financial settlement between Yuzvendra Chahal and Verma. According to their divorce terms, Chahal agreed to pay Dhanashree a permanent alimony of Rs 4.75 crore. But by the time of the judgment by the court, only Rs 2.37 crore had been paid, while the balance was still to be paid. The failure to pay the entire alimony amount had resulted in a postponement of the case, and the family court had initially declined to waive the period of cooling off because of partial payment in terms of the consent terms. But with the Bombay High Court appreciating the prolonged separation of the couple, the case was expedited and the pending alimony was ordered to be paid.
