‘Ego fight at life’s fag end’: Bombay High Court defers 90-year-old’s case to 2046
90-year-old woman still insisting on pursuing the suit and the matter should not be given priority based on the petitioners being super senior citizens: Court
3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Apr 29, 2026 12:08 PM IST
The HC noted that a 90-year-old woman was still insisting on pursuing the suit and the matter should not be given priority based on the petitioners being super senior citizens.
(File Photo)
Observing that a defamation suit consisting of an “ego fight” between parties at the fag end of their life clogs the court system, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered that it should not be taken up for the next 20 years and posted it after 2046.
The HC noted that a 90-year-old woman was still insisting on pursuing the suit and the matter should not be given priority based on the petitioners being super senior citizens.
A single-judge bench of Justice Jitendra S Jain passed an order on a suit filed by two women,
Tarinibahen (90) and Dhvani Desai (57), against Kilkilraj Bhansali and others, filed in 2017.
The suit was related to alleged instances at the annual general meeting of one Shyam Cooperative Housing Society in 2015, with plaintiffs claiming that the same caused mental harassment and distress to them and sought damages to the tune of Rs 20 crore along with interest from the date of filing the suit.
“This is one of the matters where the ego fight between the parties at their fag end of their life clogs the system, which prevents the Court from taking up the matters which really require more priority,” Justice Jain observed.
The bench observed that earlier it had expressed that the suit could be worked out by tendering an unconditional apology. “However, plaintiff no.1, who is close to 90 years old, still insists on pursuing the suit for defamation. I do not wish to state anything further except that this matter should not be taken up for the next 20 years,” Justice Jain observed.
On March 27, 2025, another bench had observed that if none of the lawyers appeared for the plaintiff on the next date, the court would consider dismissing the suit. In 2019, the HC judge had granted the plaintiffs time to comply with earlier directives including provision of list of witnesses, relevant documents relied upon by them.
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Posting the next hearing after 20 years, Justice Jain noted in his order, “List this matter after 2046. At any cost, this matter should not be given priority on the ground that the petitioners are senior citizens or super senior citizens. It is expressly made clear that this matter will not be taken up for hearing before 2046.”
Omkar Gokhale is a journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates exceptionally strong Expertise and Authority in legal and judicial reporting, making him a highly Trustworthy source for developments concerning the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Maharashtra and its key institutions.
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