Bhubaneswar: In a major relief to Ollywood actor and former MP Anubhav Mohanty, a court in Odisha’s Cuttack district has dismissed a domestic violence complaint filed against him by his former wife and actress Varsha Priyadarshini.

The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Cuttack has also rejected Varsha’s plea for maintenance and other reliefs.

The JMFC court held that allegations made by Varsha under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 were vague, contradictory and not backed by credible evidence.

According to the court, Varsha failed to establish any specific incident of domestic violence as defined under Section 3 of the Domestic Violence Act.

The court noted that Varsha had made allegations of mental and physical torture without pointing out any concrete incidents.

The complaint was filed by the actress in 2020 under Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 22 and 23 of the Act, seeking protection orders, monetary relief and compensation to the tune of Rs 13 crore.

Varsha alleged that Anubhav and his family had mentally and physically abused her, deprived her of basic necessities and subjected her to financial exploitation by withholding her film remuneration.

The order recorded that Varsha could not produce any proof with regard to her allegations that Anubhav and his family withheld Rs 20 lakh, which she had received as remuneration from a film.  

The court also took note of the judgment of the Orissa High Court that granted divorce to the couple on the ground that their marriage had never been consummated.

The JMFC court rejected Varsha’s plea for maintenance and other reliefs on the basis of Supreme Court precedents holding that maintenance may be denied to a spouse who is financially independent.

Varsha, who continues to work in movies, was found to be financially self-sufficient and capable of maintaining herself, said the court while pronouncing its judgement yesterday (April 25).