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Sanjay-Manyata marriage legal, rules court
Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt is "extremely relieved" after a Mumbai court said his marriage with Manyata is legal and overruled a lower court's order annulling it, reports Mustafa Plumber.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and his partner, Manyata, can go ahead and tie the knot, again. On Wednesday, a session’s court set aside the process initiated against the couple by a Bandra metropolitan court in a bigamy case slapped on them by Manyata’s first husband, Mehraj-ul-Rehman.
Sessions judge S.N. Sardesai accepted the argument that Manyata had asked for khulla or dissolution of marriage under the Islamic law or Sharia. Manyata had also filed an application saying her marriage registration in Goa had been nullified. This meant the couple could not be charged with bigamy.
Dutt’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant said, “Under the khulla system, a woman can divorce her husband by sending a notice to him through a qazi (Maulana). The lawyers produced these notices.”
Dutt opposed the process, saying Manyata had divorced Mehraj four years ago. He said Mehraj raised a hue and cry after he heard that she was getting married to Dutt, which means that he was “publicity hungry”. Mehraj is in jail for allegedly sending obscene text messages to some Bollywood actresses.
