Court declares actress Shruthi's second marriage null and void

Bangalore, Sep 21: The Second Additional Family Court on Friday declared the second marriage of Kannada actress with journalist Chandrachuda Chakravarthi, “null and void.”

Judge Bopaiah, while hearing the plea of Chakravarthi's first wife Manjula, upheld her argument and termed Shruthi's marriage with Chakravarthi null and void according to Section 11 of the Hindu Marriage Act, Manjula's advocate Dharmapala told Deccan Herald. A reconciliation meeting between Manjula and Chakravarthi will take place on Saturday at 3 pm, he added.

Manjula had moved the court on June 21 claiming that she was married to Chakravarthi for the last 14 years and had a daughter named Chukki with him. He frequently visited Chukki though he maintained a distance from her. He had not sought divorce from her and had married the actress in violation of the law, Manjula had claimed. She had told the court that her husband kept her in the dark about his marriage with Shruthi.

Shruthi's marriage with Chakravarthi was scheduled at Banasehwara Venkataramana Anjaneya temple at Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district. Family members decided to shift the venue even as the initial rituals for the wedding had begun. Later, the wedding ceremony was secretly and hurriedly performed on June 6 at Kollur in Udupi district.

Manjula had sought an injunction restraining Chakravathi and Shruthi from living together and the court served a fresh notice on them asking them to appear before it on July 20.

For her part, Shruthi said she sympathised with Manjula, but vowed to fight for justice. She termed Chakravarthi's act of keeping Manjula in the dark about their marriage “a mistake.”

Shruthi was earlier married to film director S Mahender.?The couple parted ways in 2011 after 13 years due to “irreconcilable differences.” They had filed for divorce in 2009 and the court granted the custody of their only child to Shruthi.

Shruthi was not available for comment.