The Supreme Court on Tuesday put a temporary hold on a Delhi High Court order that granted a divorce to celebrity chef Kunal Kapur, citing allegations of cruelty by his estranged wife.
The notice was issued to Kapur in response to a petition filed by his wife. The matter was heard by Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti who referred the case to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre to explore a potential settlement between the couple.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of Kapur, noting that his wife’s behaviour towards him lacked dignity and empathy overturning a family court decision that had denied Kapur a divorce.
The family court stated that making reckless, defamatory, and unsubstantiated public allegations against a spouse constitutes cruelty.
Kunal Kapur’s Allegation Against His Wife
Chef Kunal Kapur married in April 2008 and had a son in 2012. In his plea, Kapur, once a judge on the television show MasterChef India, accused his wife of disrespecting his parents and humiliating him.
He also alleged that in September 2016, while he was shooting for MasterChef India at Yah Raj Studio, his wife entered the studio with their minor son and created a scene at his workplace.
As a result, he had to obtain a restraining order against her. Kapoor also claimed that as he began to attract public attention, his wife threatened to spread false rumours in the media and file false criminal complaints against him and his parents.
On one occasion, his wife even slapped him just before he was about to go for a shoot, Kapur further claimed
“The respondent’s conduct towards the appellant has been such that it undermines the very essence of marriage. There is no reason why the appellant should be forced to endure such a painful situation,” the High Court said.
His Wife’s Stance
Conversely, his wife claimed that Kapur fabricated stories to obtain a divorce and argued that she had always communicated with him lovingly and remained loyal.
His estranged wife said that she always tried to communicate with her husband lovingly and remained loyal to him. However, she alleged that he kept her in the dark and made up false stories to get a divorce.
The court noted that while disagreements are normal in every marriage when these conflicts lead to disrespect and disregard for a spouse, the marriage loses its sanctity.
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