An Indian-origin woman, whose 23-year divorce battle has been dubbed one of the longest in UK legal history, has won a 6.6 million pounds, nearly ₹84.77 crore, settlement after a High Court judgment.Divorce battle began in 2002Varsha Gohil filed for divorce in May 2002 and initially accepted a modest settlement. However, she later became aware of assets that her husband, lawyer Bhadresh Gohil, had allegedly failed to disclose during the proceedings.Her efforts to secure a larger share of the marital assets were subsequently complicated by a money-laundering investigation involving her former husband, reported news agency PTI. Husband jailed in corruption-linked caseIn 2010, Bhadresh Gohil was sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with a corruption case involving a client in Nigeria.At the same time, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) sought a Confiscation Order over funds worth nearly £28 million linked to his criminal activities. However, the question of Varsha Gohil's entitlement to a share of the couple's legitimate assets remained unresolved.Court of Appeal brings long-running case to an endAccording to The Times, the UK Court of Appeal last month ruled out any further appeals, paving the way for a High Court judgment delivered last year to take effect and effectively bringing the decades-long legal dispute to a close."The husband's conduct is at the highest end of the scale in terms of dishonesty and its consequences," Justice Williams said in the ruling dated May 28, 2025.“The wife is now nearing retirement age and has come through the last 23 years with health problems, but financially, she is still afloat.“Given my conclusions on the assets which the wife sought orders in respect of and the other assets which are subject to the Confiscation Order, the marital pool of identifiable untainted realisable assets of around 6,663,172 pounds compared to the realisable assets of 27,967,337.48 pounds amounts to a modest 23.82 per cent," he said.Dispute over criminal proceeds and marital assetsVarsha Gohil, now 61 and living in London, had long suspected that her husband had failed to reveal the full extent of his wealth despite a legal duty to disclose all assets during divorce proceedings.The CPS argued that the assets in question were entirely proceeds of crime and therefore should be subject only to criminal recovery proceedings rather than a divorce settlement. However, the High Court concluded that some of the assets originated from legitimate businesses established during the marriage, giving Varsha Gohil a lawful claim to a share.Judge criticises failure to disclose wealthJudge Williams took serious note of Bhadresh Gohil's failure to disclose his true financial position and the impact it had on his family.Referring to the lengthy legal saga, the judge remarked that the Gohil name would “linger long in the memories of lawyers and judges across a range of jurisdictions” because of the “tortuous route that the case has followed”.He also highlighted the “devastation that the litigation and his criminality have wrought” on the family over the course of the proceedings.(with PTI inputs)