Supreme Court Dismisses Anita Advani's Plea for Marriage Recognition with Rajesh Khanna

Supreme Court's Ruling on Luxury Litigation

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed Anita Advani's request to have her relationship with the late actor Rajesh Khanna recognized as a marriage, labeling the case as 'luxury litigation.'

Advani, who was with Khanna until his death in 2012, argued that she was seeking dignity and challenged a previous ruling from the Bombay High Court that rejected her petition on April 1.

Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale stated that there were no valid grounds to consider her plea, emphasizing that it was a case of luxury litigation.

Advani's attorney mentioned that her civil suit aimed for a declaration based on a sense of dignity.

The High Court had previously dismissed Advani's appeal against a 2017 ruling from the Dindoshi sessions court in Mumbai, which had also denied her similar requests following Khanna's passing.

This recent Supreme Court ruling marks a significant conclusion for Advani, who has long sought acknowledgment of her relationship with Khanna.

She claimed to have been in a live-in relationship with Khanna for several years until she was removed from his residence, Aashirwad, in Bandra, Mumbai, by his estranged wife Dimple Kapadia, along with their daughter Twinkle Khanna and son-in-law Akshay Kumar.

In 2013, Advani filed a complaint under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, against Kapadia and her family, seeking monthly support and a three-bedroom apartment in Bandra.

Now in her 60s, Advani has appeared in a few films, such as 'Saazish' and 'Daasi.'

In 2015, the High Court dismissed Advani's complaint, ruling that her relationship with Khanna did not constitute a marriage, thus disallowing her from seeking relief under the Domestic Violence Act.

The court also noted that Advani could not involve all of Khanna's family members in the legal proceedings since she had never lived with them.

Advani began her acting career in 1978 with a minor role in the film 'Shalimar' and participated in the reality show 'Bigg Boss' in 2013, where she was eliminated early.

Two years ago, she published her memoir, 'The Endearingly Wicked Ways of Rajesh Khanna,' on the late actor's birthday, sharing personal anecdotes and insights into his life beyond the public eye.

During an interview, she stated, 'There was no secret about our relationship among his friends and mine. Initially, we tried to hide it, but once it became apparent, it spread. We were not concealing our relationship.'

Khanna's expansive bungalow, Aashirwad, was originally owned by Rajendra Kumar, who was persuaded by Khanna to sell it. After Khanna's death, the property was sold to an industrialist in 2014.