On Wednesday, October 4, in a Delhi family court, senior Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan was granted a divorce from his estranged wife Aesha Mukerji. The divorce was granted on the basis of mental cruelty, as stated in Dhawan’s divorce petition. Judge Harish Kumar accepted all of Dhawan’s allegations, as Aesha either did not contest them or failed to defend herself.
Dhawan and Aesha were married in October 2012, but after eight years of marriage, they decided to separate due to their differences. They have a son named Zoravar, born in December 2014. Aesha is 12 years older than Dhawan and has two daughters from her previous marriage.
As reported by Bar and Bench, the judge’s findings determined that Aesha caused Dhawan mental distress by compelling him to live apart from his son, Zoravar. The court did not make a ruling on permanent custody.
However, it granted Dhawan visitation rights to spend an appropriate duration of time with his son in both India and Australia, as well as permitted video calls. Additionally, the court ordered Aesha to facilitate their son’s visits to India for at least half of the school vacation period during the academic calendar.
Delhi Family Court has accepted all the allegations made by Shikhar Dhawan against his wife in his divorce petition. Dhawan's wife failed to defend herself. pic.twitter.com/VDPHQISSjt
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 4, 2023
Given that the petitioner is a renowned international cricketer and a source of pride for the nation, it is suggested that the petitioner should approach the Union Government of India to address the matter of visitation/custody of the minor son.
The request is for the government to engage with its Australian counterpart to facilitate regular visitation or communication between the petitioner and his son, or to consider the option of permanent custody for the petitioner.
In his plea, Dhawan asserted that initially, Aesha agreed to reside with him in India. However, she later chose to honor her commitment to her former husband, with whom she has two daughters. As a result, Aesha currently resides in Australia with her two daughters and a son from her marriage to Dhawan.
