Is Manyata pregnant?

She is pregnant or at least claiming to be so, according to a show business friend of Sanjay Dutt's whose widely publicised marriage to Manyata on Monday has thrown up a welter of questions besides a family rift with the Dutt sisters Priya and Namrata.

It is learnt that in October last year, Manyata had claimed that she was pregnant before Sanjay Dutt was sent to Arthur Road jail from where he emerged a few months later on bail.

In between, Manyata had said that she had had a miscarriage.<b1>

Third wedding
"Now again," the source reveals, "she could have claimed that she is expecting Sanjay's child". So, the marriage was held in the public eye at Badrinath Towers, Versova. It was at the house of one of Manyata's friends, Pradeep Sinha. This would be the third marriage actually between Dutt and Manayata.

The first one was reportedly on November 19, 2006, a nikaah, after which she started staying with him. The next was in Goa last Thursday, followed by the one in Versova.

Manyata, born Dilnawaz Shaikh aka Sara, it is learnt from sources, was married to Meraj Rehman who was arrested in connection with threatening phone calls and lewd smses to film heroines.

He is still in Arthur Road jail. According to sources, he has not given a talaaq to Manyata. She may have converted to Hinduism - saat pheras were performed on Monday - but several sections have averred that she cannot do this before getting a formal separation for her husband.

In the family way
According to pundit Kirshna Kumar Mishra, the pundit who performed the wedding rituals for Manyata and Sanjay Dutt on Monday, he had been told that the bride was three-months-pregnant and so the rites should be performed accordingly.

He confirmed this, stating, "Yes, you are right. When a girl is pregnant, different vidhis are to be performed and I did so accordingly."

When Kumar Gaurav the actor's brother-in-law, was asked why he did not attend the wedding, he responded with a terse if comic, "I was fast asleep then."

He was at the post-wedding party but neither of the Dutt sisters Namrata or Priya attended.