The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the divorce petition filed by Kendrapada MP and film actor Anubhav Mohanty in the Patiala House Court and asked the counsels of Mohanty and his actress-wife Varsha Priyadarshini to settle the dispute between the estranged couple through discussions.
Hearing Varsha’s petition seeking transfer of the petition to the Family Court in Cuttack, the apex court referred the case to a mediation centre for settling the marital discord.
Varsha’s counsel Krishna Kumar said the court referred the matter to the mediation centre while issuing notice and granting stay order for further proceeding in the Patiala House Court. The notice has been issued to Anubhav Mohanty and the Patiala House Court to stay the proceeding.Varsha’s lawyer Goutam Bhola said neither there is a single male member in her family nor has she enough money to frequently go to Delhi.
Before listening to any argument of counsels from both sides, the apex court termed the case as a “high-profile” one and advised them to settle the dispute by finding a mutually agreed solution,” said Bhola, adding that the court said the matter can be settled amicably through mediators.
Notably, the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Cuttack has recently served a notice to Anubhav for his reply in the domestic violence case lodged by Varsha and fixed November 12 for hearing of the matter.
Varsha filed the case on August 7, a month after Anubhav had filed the divorce suit on July 6. And the marital discord between them came to the fore in September.On October 7, the Patiala House Court had issued a notice to Varsha to depose before it on December 10 in the divorce case.