New Delhi: Former actress Anita Advani has suffered another setback in her long-running legal battle to have her relationship with late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna recognised as a marriage. The Supreme Court dismissed her petition on Thursday, describing the case as “luxury litigation” and observing that there were no grounds to entertain her plea.
A bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Prasanna B. Varale was hearing Advani’s challenge to the Bombay High Court’s April 1 order. During the proceedings, her lawyer argued that the legal battle was about securing dignity and respect for her.
“I want respect. Ultimately, the demand in my civil suit is based on this sense of dignity,” her lawyer told the court.
How Anita Advani’s Legal Battle Began
After Rajesh Khanna’s death in July 2012, Advani filed a civil suit seeking legal recognition of their alleged relationship as a marriage. However, her efforts have faced repeated setbacks in court.
In 2017, a sessions court in Mumbai’s Dindoshi rejected her plea. Advani subsequently challenged the decision, but the Bombay High Court also dismissed her appeal. She then approached the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s April 1 order.
Anita Advani Claimed She Lived With Rajesh Khanna
Advani has claimed that she was in a live-in relationship with Khanna for several years. According to her account, she was asked to leave his Mumbai bungalow, Aashirwad, in 2012.
She had held Khanna’s estranged wife, actress Dimple Kapadia, their daughter Twinkle Khanna and son-in-law Akshay Kumar responsible for the development.
In 2013, Advani filed a complaint before a magistrate’s court under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. She named Kapadia, her daughters and her son-in-law in the complaint.
Advani sought monthly maintenance as well as a three-bedroom flat in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra area.
Why Did the Bombay High Court Reject Her Complaint?
In 2015, the Bombay High Court quashed the proceedings arising from Advani’s complaint after allowing petitions filed by Kapadia and her family. The court held that Advani’s relationship with Khanna did not qualify as a relationship in the nature of marriage under the domestic violence law. Consequently, it ruled that she was not entitled to relief under the legislation.
The High Court also observed that Khanna’s family members could not all be drawn into the legal proceedings, noting that Advani had never lived with them.
Advani has appeared in films including Saazish and Daasi. Her legal battle to establish the nature of her relationship with Khanna has continued for years, but the Supreme Court’s latest decision marks another setback in her efforts.
