Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and his estranged wife Sankgeetha Sornalingam’s divorce petition was heard at the Chengalpattu Mahila court on Monday at 10:30 am. The hearing has been adjourned to August 7.
The ongoing divorce proceedings are a result of a petition filed by Sankgeetha in February, in which she alleged that Vijay had been involved in an extramarital affair. The case was listed for April 20 initially. After Vijay and Sankgeetha failed to appear for the first hearing, the Chengalpattu family court had ordered them to appear on June 15.
In Sankgeetha’s divorce petition, she accused Vijay of having an adulterous relationship with a female actor, which she discovered in 2021. She said, when confronted, Vijay issued repeated assurances to end the relationship.
The petition claimed that he not only continued the relationship but also went on trips and attended events with the female actor.
The plea also highlighted that she and her two children, Jason Sanjay and Divya Sasha, were subjected to humiliation. She claimed that the female actor shared photos of her with Vijay of their public outings on social media.
Sankgeetha also alleged that Vijay withdrew facilities which were previously available to her and imposed financial restrictions and even her free movement.
In her petition, she reiterated that she was subjected to severe mental trauma. On the basis of these claims, a case was filed for divorce under Section 27(1)(a) and 27(1)(d) of the Special Marriage Act.
Vijay and Sankgeetha got married in 1999 and are now seeking to end their marriage of 27 years.
On the work front, Vijay’s party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) registered a historic win against the two Dravidian parties – DMK and ADMK – which have ruled Tamil Nadu for nearly 60 years. The actor took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on May 10.
His final film, Jana Nayagan, which was slated for a grand release in January, is still stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), after a member flagged scenes which violated certain rules. It was also reported that the film had political undertones that could prove influential for Vijay’s party in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, which took place on April 23.
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