The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by actress Anita Advani seeking legal recognition of her relationship with the late superstar. Rajesh Khanna as a marriage For those who didn’t know, she was married to Rajesh Khanna Dimple Kapadia in 1973 but the couple separated in the mid-1980s. Although Kapadia moved out of her Aashirwad bungalow with daughters Twinkle and Rinke Khanna, she was never officially divorced from Khanna. Meanwhile, for many years, Anita maintained that she had a live-in relationship with the superstar until his death in 2012. Calling herself a ‘surrogate wife’, she said she took care of his house, including the famous Aashirwad bungalow, and cared about his health. He also shared that he observed rituals like Karva Chauth for her.Thus, Advani filed a plea for marriage recognition for her relationship with the late actor, which was rejected by the court on Wednesday. The order was issued by Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, who dismissed Advani’s petition challenging the decision of a lower court. Earlier in 2017, the Dindoshi Civil Court had thrown out Advani’s civil suit on technical grounds. He then appealed to the High Court. After perusing the submissions of Advani’s lawyers and legal representatives appearing in Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Kumarand Twinkle KhannaThe High Court upheld the previous judgment and dismissed the appeal.“The first appeal is rejected,” the court said. The dispute between Advani and Kapadia has led to several legal battles since 2012, largely stemming from Advani’s assertion that he shared an affair with Rajesh Khanna.Advani also filed a criminal complaint before the Bandra court against Kapadia, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna for domestic violence. He alleged that he was forced from Khanna’s bungalow, Aashirwad, after his death.In 2015, however, a coordination bench of the Bombay High Court quashed those domestic violence proceedings against Kapadia, Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar. The judge then ruled that Advani’s association with Rajesh Khanna was not a relationship “in the nature of marriage” under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005. A few months ago, Anita had said in an interview that she was secretly married to Khana. In an interview with “Meri Saheli”, she stated: “We got married in private, but in the film industry, no one talks openly about such things. Everyone says ‘we are friends’ or ‘we are in a relationship’ or something. But it was already reported in the media that I was with him, so none of us had to go and announce that we were married in public. We have never felt that need.” She recounted how the private ceremony took place: “We had a small temple in our house. I made a mangal sutra, with black gold beads. She took me. Then she made sindoor and said: ‘From today, you are my responsibility’. That’s how our wedding happened in one night, like that.”
