Cuttack: The estranged couple, Kendrapada MP and actor Anubhav Mohanty and his actress-wife Varsha Priyadarshini, appeared before the Family Court in Odisha’s Cuttack on Monday.
While Anubhav came to the court first, Varsha’s came separately later. The court had asked them to appear for hearing their divorce petition.
The MP had filed the divorce in a New Delhi court. Later, the case was transferred to the Family Court in Cuttack on the direction of the Supreme Court. Varsha had appealed to the apex court to transfer the case from Delhi to Cuttack where she was staying.
The details of the hearing in the court were not available till the report was filed. Sources said the estranged couple assured the court separately that they would appear in the court regularly for an early disposal of the case.
Earlier, the family court had come down heavily on the couple for deliberately delaying the proceedings. In a ruling on September 9, the court imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 each on Anubhav and Varsha in this regard.
The court had accepted the petitions filed by them on modification in marriage venue and witness hearing. But it condemned Varsha’s repeated absence during the hearing. While Anubhav was present during hearings, the court noticed that Varsha and her lawyer often neglected and abstained from the hearings.
