Actress Poojitha submits proof, case filed against her husband in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: SR Nagar police on Tuesday booked a case based on a complaint lodged by actress Poojitha regarding her husband marrying Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh managing director G. Rekha Rani, an IAS officer.

Police officials said that they had booked a case against former journalist P. Vijay Gopal, who is currently the PA to Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha, for cheating Poojitha. Police has included IPC Section 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage) in the FIR.

After police sought evidence of her marriage with Mr Gopal, Poojitha on Tuesday appeared before the SR Nagar police with a handwritten letter from a priest, Mr Subhash, who had allegedly performed her marriage with Mr Gopal in 1994.

Earlier, she had submitted documents including ration card, Voter’s ID card, her delivery records, family photos, her son’s birth certificate and school admission records to prove their marriage in the absence of a marriage certificate.

According to Poojitha, their wedding had taken place at Birla Temple at the sanctorum of Sri Venkateswara Swamy. The wedding of Mr Vijay Gopal and Ms Rekha Rani had kicked up a controversy after Poojitha had approached the police demanding action against him, alleging that he had cheated her and other women earlier.

She alleged that her husband had fraudulently married Ms Rekha Rani without taking a divorce from her. She claimed that they were married 15 years ago and had a son.

Ms Rekha Rani, who had shot to fame after she prompted Sachin Tendulkar to adopt a village in Nellore, when she was joint collector of the region in 2014, has vehemently denied the allegations and maintains that Mr Vijay Gopal was never married to Poojitha and that it was just a live-in relationship. Mr Vijay Gopal too had said the same.