SC dissolves marriage in Rolls Royce dowry dispute, orders Rs 2.25 crore settlement
Unusual legal battle stemmed from accusations that woman’s estranged husband and his family demanded 1951 Rolls Royce — a historic car linked to Maharani of Baroda and ordered by Nehru — along with a Mumbai flat, as dowry
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court has officially dissolved the marriage of an estranged couple whose bitter dispute centered around a rare 1951 model Rolls Royce, once ordered by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the erstwhile Maharani of Baroda.
A three-judge Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, exercising powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, passed the order on August 29. The Bench declared that there shall be “no relationship, matrimonial or otherwise” between the husband and wife, quashing all ongoing cases they had filed against each other.
As part of the settlement, the man agreed to pay his former wife Rs 2.25 crore, thereby closing all financial claims. Of this, a Rs 1 crore bank draft and certain gift items — including an engagement ring, achkan buttons, and a 10-gram ginni — were handed over to the woman on August 29 itself. The balance amount of Rs 1.25 crore will be paid by November 30. The wife will retain all gifts given to her by her husband and his family, while the man will return all items he received during the engagement and marriage ceremonies.
The matter reached the Supreme Court after the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier quashed a dowry and cruelty case filed by the woman against her husband. In November 2024, the Supreme Court had encouraged both parties to explore mediation. Senior advocate R Basant was appointed as mediator, leading to the final settlement.
The woman, a resident of Gwalior, claimed to belong to a distinguished family with historical roots — her ancestor was an admiral in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s navy and later declared ruler of the Konkan region. The husband, hailing from an Army background, runs an educational institution in Madhya Pradesh.
She had alleged that her husband and in-laws harassed her with dowry demands, including the antique Rolls Royce and a flat in Mumbai. According to her, when these demands were not met, the family denied the marriage, levelled false allegations, and tried to malign her reputation. Her petition also highlighted that the car was a rare handmade piece by HJ Mulliner & Co., originally ordered for Maharani Chimna Bai Sahib Gaekwad.
In response, the husband lodged a case of cheating and forgery against his wife and her family over the preparation of their marriage certificate. The High Court later dismissed her FIR, calling it an “afterthought.”
Case in brief
This unusual legal battle stemmed from accusations that the woman’s estranged husband and his family demanded a priceless 1951 Rolls Royce — a historic car linked to Maharani of Baroda and ordered by Nehru — along with a Mumbai flat, as dowry. Both sides filed multiple cases against each other, ranging from dowry harassment to forgery. Ultimately, the Supreme Court stepped in, dissolved the marriage, and finalised a Rs 2.25 crore settlement to end the dispute once and for all.