- The Bombay High Court has dismissed a plea filed by actress Anita Advani
- She sought legal recognition of her alleged marriage to late superstar Rajesh Khanna
- Advani had argued that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajesh Khanna for over a decade
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a plea filed by actress Anita Advani seeking legal recognition of her alleged marriage to late superstar Rajesh Khanna.
Justice Sharmila Deshmukh rejected Advani's first appeal, which challenged a 2017 ruling passed by a Dindoshi civil court in Mumbai. The High Court upheld the earlier verdict, making it clear that her claims do not qualify for legal recognition as a marriage. A detailed order in the matter is still awaited.
Advani had argued that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajesh Khanna for over a decade until his death in 2012. However, the court found no legal basis to accept this claim.
The case has remained contentious since Khanna's death, involving a prolonged dispute between Advani and the actor's family.
During the hearing, arguments were presented on behalf of Khanna's wife, Dimple Kapadia, daughter Twinkle Khanna, and son-in-law Akshay Kumar.
The family firmly denied Advani's assertions, maintaining that she was neither married to the actor nor in a legally recognised live-in partnership.
Advani had also previously alleged that she was forcibly removed from Khanna's iconic Aashirwad bungalow following his death. In 2012, she initiated legal proceedings against the family under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005. However, in 2015, the High Court quashed those proceedings, observing that the relationship did not meet the criteria of a marriage-like arrangement.
With this latest ruling, the High Court has once again reinforced that Advani's claims lack legal standing. The decision effectively closes another chapter in the long-standing dispute surrounding Khanna's personal life and legacy.
Rajesh Khanna, often regarded as Hindi cinema's first superstar, married Dimple Kapadia in 1973. The couple had two daughters, including Twinkle Khanna. Over a career spanning decades, he featured in more than 100 films and received several honours, including the Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2013.
(With inputs from Rutik)