'Mumbai Ceremony Was Tandoorasti, Not Valid Ashirvad Marriage': Bombay HC Dismisses Parsi Matrimonial Suit

The Bombay High Court dismissed a Parsi matrimonial suit seeking divorce and Rs5 crore permanent alimony after holding that a 2010 Mumbai ceremony was a Tandoorasti blessing, not an Ashirvad marriage. The court said the absence of a valid Parsi marriage ceremony meant the necessary jurisdictional connection was missing.

The Bombay High Court ruled that the 2010 Mumbai ceremony did not establish the jurisdictional basis for the Parsi matrimonial proceedings | AI Generated Image

Mumbai, September 24, 2026: The Bombay High Court has dismissed a Parsi matrimonial suit seeking divorce and Rs 5 crore permanent alimony after holding that a ceremony held in Mumbai in 2010 was a traditional “Tandoorasti” or blessing ceremony and not the “Ashirvad” ceremony required for a valid Parsi marriage under law.

Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan held that the finding was crucial because the couple had otherwise been married in a civil ceremony in Perth, Western Australia, and both had lived there.

The November 20, 2010 ceremony in Mumbai was the only connecting factor that could have given the High Court jurisdiction over the Parsi matrimonial proceedings.

Wife Sought Divorce And Alimony

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The suit was filed by the wife against her husband, seeking dissolution of the marriage, Rs 5 crore as permanent alimony, interim maintenance of Rs 1 lakh per month and costs. The husband sought rejection of the suit under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the Code of Civil Procedure, contending that it was barred by law.

The wife claimed that the Mumbai ceremony was an “Ashirvad” marriage ceremony. The husband, however, maintained that it was only a “Tandoorasti” ceremony involving blessings of elders after their marriage abroad.

Parsi Delegates Examine Ceremony

The parties had earlier agreed to have the question decided with the assistance of five Parsi delegates. A video of the ceremony, tendered by the wife, was shown to the delegates in 2024. They unanimously concluded that it was not a marriage ceremony but a “blessing / Tandoorasti ceremony”.

The delegates noted that an important part of a Parsi marriage ceremony — signing of the marriage document by the couple and one witness from each side — was absent from the video.

The judge said the parties had themselves agreed to have the preliminary factual issue examined by the delegates and could not later challenge the process as a “mini trial”.

“If the ceremony was not an Ashirvad ceremony, a fundamental requisite of a Parsi marriage would not have been met,” Justice Sundaresan observed.

Court Rejects Res Judicata Plea

The court also rejected the husband’s argument that the suit was barred by the principle of res judicata because of the divorce and financial proceedings in Australia. It noted that the Australian court had expressly left the Indian proceedings and alleged Indian assets outside its consideration.

However, since the Mumbai ceremony was not found to be a Parsi marriage ceremony, the court held that the necessary jurisdictional fact was absent.

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“The Interim Application succeeds, and the Suit is dismissed,” the judge ordered. The court also said none of the wife’s financial claims had been adjudicated and expressed no view on any other legal avenue that may remain open to her.

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