Rhea always considered her live-in relationship with Paes equivalent to marriage, until her lawyers advised her on the legality of the registered marriage when she consulted them last month.
Rhea Pillai, the estranged live-in partner of India’s ace Tennis player, Leander Paes, during her cross examination informed Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court that Paes has brilliant convincing powers. Pillai said that Paes convinced her that Gandharva marriage was sufficient for them and they need not register their marriage. She also said that though they did not enter into the legalisation of marriage, Paes added Rhea’s name as spouse on his Passport, on club memberships and also on the school admission form of their biological daughter.
Rhea always considered her live-in relationship with Paes equivalent to marriage, until her lawyers advised her on the legality of the registered marriage when she consulted them last month.
She further said that she did not informed close friends of her marriage when they had entered into the Gandharva wedding, and had never documented or broadcast the marriage either through a message, email, or on social networking sites.
The defence further questioned her asking if there were any witnesses to the wedding, to which Pillai mentioned that their friend Veena Malani had accompanied her for it, though she did not enter the temple.
Speaking on the Gandharva wedding issue she said, “Paes is very a convincing person and had informed me that Gandharva wedding was enough. My name was added in his passport as spouse. I was made honorary member of...clubs as his wife. He introduced us in our daughter’s school as Mr and Mrs Paes, even in documents. These were enough reasons to be convinced for a Gandharva wedding and not force him into a registered wedding.”
Further, the defence examined her on the aspect that she had mentioned in the documents submitted before the court that reads that Paes always avoided marriage, to which Rhea answered in the affirmitive.
The case
Pillai had filed the domestic violence case against Leander and his father in 2014, a year after Paes approached the family court for custody of their daughter.
The matter is adjourned to October 23.
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 "Rhea Pillai")
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