Odia Actor and BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty Granted Divorce by Orissa High Court
The bench not only approved the divorce but also overturned the previous ruling of a local family court that had rejected Mohanty's appeal for divorce in September last year.
The Orissa High Court recently granted divorce to Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP and popular Odia actor Anubhav Mohanty from his wife Varsha Priyadarshini. The division bench, consisting of Justices Arindam Sinha and Sibo Sankar Mishra, not only approved the divorce but also overturned the previous ruling of a local family court that had rejected Mohanty's appeal for divorce in September last year.
The bench noted, "We are clear in our minds that pleading of facts regarding non-consummation and denial of physical intimacy were there in the petition. Respondent-wife had notice of petitioner’s case. She dealt with the case on categoric assertion of consummation and thereafter physical intimacy against her will."
Mohanty's counsel, Adv Lalitendu Mishra, stated that the division bench found clear evidence that the petitioner had been subjected to cruelty by his spouse, who showed an aversion to intimacy after their marriage in 2014. The high court, relying on Section 13(1)(IB) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, decreed the dissolution of the marriage.
The divorce saga began in 2019 when Mohanty filed a divorce lawsuit in New Delhi, later transferred to the Cuttack family court in 2020 by the Supreme Court. The couple engaged in a series of legal battles, filing complaints and suits against each other. Social media platforms became a battleground for airing grievances, prompting the high court in May 2022 to intervene and restrain both parties from further public spats.
Despite the court's directions, the family court had rejected Mohanty's divorce plea in September, leading the BJD MP to appeal to the Orissa High Court.
Case Title: Anubhav Mohanty Vs. Varsha Priyadarshini