A high-profile dowry dispute involving a rare 1951 Rolls-Royce, once custom-built for the Maharani of Baroda, has led to an ongoing legal battle between two prominent royal families in India, as per a report.
The vintage car was ordered on her behalf by India‘s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. What began as a bitter squabble over marital property has since become a very contentious issue in their marital conflict.
The marriage between the daughter of a Gwalior royal family, descended from the admiral of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and the son of a former Army colonel with a family business in education, was arranged and solemnized in 2018.
However, the bride claims that she was never taken to her husband’s home due to a dowry dispute. According to her complaint, the groom’s family was captivated by the vintage Rolls-Royce, a family heirloom passed down to her, and demanded the car as part of the dowry, along with a flat in Mumbai.
The dispute escalated, with the groom’s family filing a complaint against the bride’s family, alleging financial deceit during the wedding.
In response, the bride lodged a dowry harassment complaint against her husband and his family. Although the Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed the dowry-related FIR, the bride has taken her case to the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s decision.
Representing the bride, senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija informed the Supreme Court that the woman faces unique challenges due to the traditional values of her royal community, which typically does not allow remarriage.
Recognizing the complex dynamics, the Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, appointed former High Court judge R Basant to mediate between the parties in an attempt to resolve the dispute amicably.
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