SC issues notices to Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Kumar on plea of Rajesh Khanna's partner

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today sought responses from Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, his wife Twinkle Khanna and mother-in-law Dimple Kapadia on a plea of Anita Advani, alleged live-in partner of yesteryear heart-throb Rajesh Khanna, against dismissal of her domestic violence case against the three actors.

"Issue notice," a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy said after hearing brief arguments advanced by Advani's counsel. Senior lawyers C A Sundaram and Jatin Zaveri, appearing for Advani, criticized the Bombay High Court order dismissing her complaint lodged against the three actors under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

"She was not married to late Rajesh Khanna, but she was in a relationship which was of the nature of marriage," he said, adding that her complaint was wrongly dismissed. He claimed that Advani was in "live-in" relationship with Khanna.

The Bombay High Court had in April allowed the petitions of filed by Dimple, Twinkle and Akshay seeking quashing of proceedings initiated against them by a lower court based on a complaint lodged by Anita.

The High Court had observed that her relation with Khanna was not of the nature of marriage and hence, she cannot seek relief under the provisions of Domestic Violence Act. It had further held that all family members of Khanna cannot be roped into the proceedings as she had never lived with them.

Advani had claimed that she was evicted from Khanna's suburban bungalow 'Aashirwad' after his death and had sought monthly maintenance and a three-bedroom flat in Bandra. The magistrate had then issued notices to the actors on Advani's complaint.