In a volute face, actor Sanjay Dutt and companion Manyata have denied that they are legally married and stated that they cannot be accused of bigamy.
The two has stated that their marriage ceremony in Goa is a rumour and they are merely staying together in Dutt’s Pali hill residence. The couple, in an application filed before the Bandra Sessions Court here, challenged the allegations of bigamy leveled by Manyata’s first husband Meraj ur Rehman Sheikh..
Earlier, Manyata’s estranged husband Sheikh, who is currently lodged in the Arthur Road jail for allegedly sending obscene sms-es to Bollywood actresses, had moved to Bandra magistrate’s court in February challenging Manyata’s marriage to Dutt
The Bandra court issued summons against actor Sanjay Dutt and wife Manyata on Tuesday in response to Meraj Rehman’s plea. But Sanjay and Manyata have contested before the court that they are not legally married.
Admitting the revision application, additional sessions judge, SN Sardesai, on Monday stayed the Bandra magistrate court order. The case will now be heard on April 23. Dutt and Manyata, in their application, said that in order to prosecute them for bigamous marriage, it is necessary that their marriage must be proved valid.
The application said that in the absence of any material to prove that they are married, no offence of bigamy could be made out against them The maximum punishment for bigamy is imprisonment up to seven years.
Courtesy: NewsLine365
