A family court in Cuttack on Tuesday rejected a plea filed by actress Varsha Priyadarshini to quash the divorce petition filed by her actor-politician husband Anubhav Mohanty, without hearing.
The plea was filed by Varsha’s counsel citing factual errors in Mohanty’s divorce petition. However, the Family Court rejected her plea by stating that the divorce petition has enough facts which summons a thorough trial. So, it cannot be quashed at the initial stage, the court pointed out.
The next hearing on the divorce petition has been scheduled for September 14.
Earlier on August 26, the Orissa High Court had refused to entertain a plea filed by Mohanty to fast track his divorce petition. Instead, the Court directed Mohanty’s lawyer to make an application in a lower or the Family Court for the same if he wished so.
It is pertinent to mention here that Anubhav had accused Varsha of intentionally holding up the Court’s proceedings by refusing to show up before the mediation center despite receiving formal notices.
Varsha's lawyer, on the other hand, had accused Anubhav of not following the due process of law.
It may be recalled that in the 47-page divorce petition filed in Delhi’s Patiala House court the BJD MP from Kendrapara had alleged that his wife was not allowing sexual relations and natural conjugal life. Later Varsha Priyadarshini moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of Mohanty's divorce petition to a court in Cuttack.
Following the filing of the divorce petition, there has been a string of domestic violence cases and counter cases filed by the troubled couple against each other.