Rajesh Khanna-Anita Advani Relationship Controversy: The relationship between Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Bollywood, and Anita Advani is once again in the news. The reason for this is the recent decision of the Supreme Court. The court rejected Anita's petition, in which she had demanded that her relationship with late actor Rajesh Khanna be treated as marriage and given the status of wife. The court described this matter as 'luxury litigation' and said that there is no basis for hearing this petition. After this decision, Anita's legal battle that has been going on for almost 14 years has received a big blow.
It is worth noting that this dispute is not just about the personal relationship between two people. Questions like marriage, live-in relationships, domestic violence laws and giving legal recognition to relationships are also included in this. In this matter, Anita has said that she stayed with Rajesh Khanna in the last years of his life and also took care of his house. At the same time, Rajesh's wife Dimple Kapadia was not divorced despite being separated from him for years. This was the most important thing in the court's decision.
How did Anita and Rajesh Khanna meet for the first time?
Anita Advani had told about her first meeting with Rajesh Khanna in many interviews. According to her, she was studying in school in Jaipur at that time and was about 13 years old. Came to Mumbai with family during holidays. During that time, with the help of a family member, he met Rajesh Khanna. Anita was his big fan at that time. Anita had told in an interview given to Rediff in 2013 that after the first meeting, Rajesh took her phone number and after a few days also called her to watch the shooting. According to him, during this time their meetings started increasing. Rajesh was not married at that time.
Anita had told that she lived in Mumbai for some time and she fell in love with Rajesh. When Jai returned, contact between the two was lost. According to him, they met again after about ten years. She was 23 years old at that time. She also expressed her displeasure with Rajesh regarding their relationship.
After the second meeting, both of them started living together.
According to Anita, both of them started meeting each other around the year 2000. She used to go to Rajesh's office and spend time with him. She told Rediff that in late 2006, she started living with Rajesh at his bungalow Ashirwad in Mumbai. Anita had claimed that she lived there like a wife and took care of the household responsibilities. In the subsequent interview, Anita described her relationship with Rajesh as lasting for about 12 years.
Why the controversy related to Dimple Kapadia?
Actually, Rajesh Khanna married actress Dimple Kapadia in 1973. At that time Dimple was 16 years old and he was 15 years older than her. Both have two daughters Twinkle and Rinki. After a few years of marriage, there was distance in their relationship. Dimple started living separately from Rajesh in the early 1980s. But never got divorced. This became the biggest legal hurdle for Anita. Anita said that Rajesh and Dimple were living separately for a long time and their husband-wife relationship had ended. She also claimed that Rajesh had married her. The court did not accept it as a legal marriage. At the same time, Dimple Kapadia and her family opposed Anita's claims. He said that Rajesh's marriage with Dimple was intact. In such a situation, the relationship with Anita cannot be given the status of marriage or marriage-like relationship.
What did Anita demand from the court?
After the death of Rajesh Khanna, Anita took legal steps against his family. In 2013 he filed a complaint in the magistrate court. In this he had demanded financial help every month and a flat in Bandra. Anita's allegation was that after Rajesh's death, she was thrown out of Ashirwad Bungalow. According to him, she lived there with him and took care of him. She said that after being thrown out of the house, she had to go to court for her rights in her relationship. In 2015, the Bombay High Court canceled the proceedings of his complaint.
When did the lawsuit seeking wife status start?
Anita sought a declaration in the civil court that the relationship between her and Rajesh was that of marriage and that she should be considered his widow. He first filed a civil suit in 2015. In 2017, the court rejected his petition. The court accepted that Rajesh's marriage with Dimple continued till his death, hence Anita's demand cannot be accepted as per law. After this Anita appealed in the Bombay High Court.
What did the Bombay High Court say on Anita's petition?
On April 1, 2026, the Bombay High Court bench rejected Anita's appeal. The High Court said that for a relationship to be considered, both people must be legally eligible to marry. This also includes the condition that either of the two should not already have a marriage which is not legally consummated. The court cited the Supreme Court's D. Velusamy vs. D. Pachaiyammal decision. According to the Bombay High Court, Rajesh's marriage with Dimple did not end through divorce. Therefore Anita's relationship cannot be considered legal. The High Court also said that when the legal conditions are not fulfilled, there would be no useful purpose in pursuing the case for evidence.
What did the Supreme Court say on Anita's petition?
Now recently, Anita had reached the Supreme Court against this decision of the Bombay High Court. Whose hearing will be on 29 October 2026 before Justice M.M. Sundaresh and Justice Prasanna B. Varale's bench did. Anita's lawyer said that the declaration sought in the civil suit is related to her honor and dignity. He said that Anita wants legal recognition for her relationship. On this the court refused to hear the petition. The court called it 'luxury litigation' and said that there is no ground to interfere in it. In this way, the Supreme Court did not change the April 1 order of the Bombay High Court. That means Anita was not recognized as the legal wife or widow of Rajesh Khanna.
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