Udit given a week to settle marriage row

The singer?s lawyers said efforts were on for an out of court settlement with Ranjana Jha, who claims to be his first wife.

Bollywood playback singer Udit Narayan failed to appear before Bihar Women's Commission for the sixth time on Wednesday. He said efforts were on for an out of court settlement with Ranjana Jha, who claims to be his first wife, and sought a week's time for "meaningful" reconciliation.

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Ranjana, who was present before the commission with her lawyer Raju Giri, confirmed that she spoke on telephone with Narayan twice for reconciliation and consented to the singer's prayer for a week's time.

Accepting the petitions of both parties, women's commission chief Manju Prakash gave time till July four for the reconciliation.

"The commission appreciates the efforts for an out of court settlement between the two parties. Though the panel was prepared to issue warrant of arrest against the singer if he failed to make personal appearance before it today, we thought the commission should not come in the way of a reconciliation and gave them time till July four," Manju Prakash said.

Udit's lawyer Mahasweta Chatterjee told the commission that her client was "very serious" about solving the dispute amicably and a "meaningful" effort for reconciliation with Ranjana Jha was on.

Giri, who initially prayed for issuing of an arrest warrant against the singer for failing to turn up before it, consented to his prayer as a "last indulgence".

This was the sixth occasion that the Bollywood singer failed to turn up before the commission to explain his position on Ranjana's claim of being his first wife and also to clarify his relationship with Deepa Narayan with whom the singer is living in Mumbai at present.