Mumbai: Actor Celina Jaitly and her estranged husband, Austrian hotelier Peter Haag, have been directed by a metropolitan magistrate’s court Andheri, Mumbai, to file their income affidavits by January 27. Haag has also been ordered to submit his reply to Jaitly’s domestic violence (DV) complaint.
The directions were issued during the first hearing of the case filed by the actor in November under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, Hindustan Times has reported.
In her please, Celina has alleged that she faced sustained physical, verbal and emotional abuse during their 15-year marriage and has sought Rs 100 crore as compensation and Rs 10 lakh per month in maintenance. The couple married in Mumbai in 2010 and lived across Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore and Austria during Haag’s overseas assignments.
The actor has claimed she was systematically “robbed of her financial independence and dignity” through what she describes as years of coercive control. She also alleged that Haag restricted her professional engagements, prevented her from accessing her earnings, and made her financially dependent on him.
She also described Haag as a “self-absorbed individual” who allegedly demonstrated “no empathy” towards her or their children.
Haag has also been accused of financial misappropriation. He allegedly siphoned money from Celina’s bank accounts, using her debit and credit cards while allegedly pretending to pay her bills, and controlling her documentation and passport.
A central element of the dispute is a 2019 gift deed transferring her Mumbai flat to Haag. Celina claims the deed was executed when she was mentally vulnerable and alleges Haag subsequently rented out the property without her knowledge, earning approximately Rs 1.26 crore.
She has also claimed that Haag sold a jointly purchased property in Vienna without informing her, and that the alleged abuse escalated after he moved the family to a small village in Austria. Jaitly claims she left Austria with the help of a neighbour after locating documents that Haag had allegedly withheld from her.
Haag had already filed for divorce in an Austrian court earlier this year, blaming Jaitly for the marriage breakdown. Her legal team has stated that the Austrian court recently allowed her one hour of telephonic contact with their children daily after an alleged period during which Haag had cut off communication.
Celina has claimed in her DV petition that she has been prevented from contacting the children since she initiated legal action in India.
The Mumbai court has now sought clarity on both parties’ financial positions before considering interim reliefs. Haag has been asked to file a detailed reply to the allegations along with his income affidavit. The case will next be heard on January 27, when the court will review the affidavits and take up Celina’s interim applications.
