A Bollywood star’s unsavoury divorce case has caught the attention of the highest court for a different reason. Even as film actress Karisma Kapoor is defending custody of her children and fighting a fresh divorce petition filed by her husband Delhi-based businessman Sunjay Kapur before a family court in Mumbai, a call from an underworld don has led her husband to seek transfer of the case to Delhi apprehending danger to his life.
With almost a month gone by since Sunjay reported the matter to the Delhi Police, initial investigations have confirmed that the call came from noted gangster Ravi Pujari who has threatened Karisma’s husband with dire consequences if he visits Mumbai in connection with the case.
looking into the seriousness of the complaint, the Supreme Court Bench of Justices AK Sikri and Arun Mishra on Friday sought a report from Special Cell Additional Commissioner in two weeks. The order issued by the court said, “Before we take cognizance of this matter, it would be apposite to call a report from the police authorities.” The police report will be considered by the court on the next date of hearing on March 4.
In his petition filed by Aman and Priya Hingorani and Associates, Sunjay elaborated his ordeal which began soon after his return from a hearing of the case listed before a Family Court in Bandra. The hearing ended on January 18 and on his return to Delhi, he received successive calls from notorious underworld don Ravi Pujari who warned that he will be killed if he returns to Mumbai for the next hearing of the case on March 3.
His lawyers in the Supreme Court argued that the Delhi Police has found the complaint to be “credible” and this has added to their client’s woes. But before the case could be transferred to a Delhi court, the bench will have to hear out Karisma.
The divorce and custody battle of celebrity couples has hogged headlines for various reasons. But this certainly has raised eyebrows. Pujari, who is well-known for his extortion threats, has in the past been in news for interfering in the private life of other Bollywood divas. last years, the office of Nusli Wadia had complained to the Mumbai Police after they received a series of threat calls from Ravi Pujari, who was apparently upset over the alleged ill-treatment complained by actress Preity Zinta by her former beau Ness Wadia.
Things are not pretty even with Sunjay and Karisma. No attempts to either hold them together or keep them apart have succeeded for the past few years. Even the fresh divorce plea at the instance of Sunjay filed in the Mumbai court in December saw a blast of fresh allegations levelled against Karisma accusing her of failing to be a good wife, mother and daughter-in-law and loving just his money. The actress is yet to file her response on these charges.