The veteran actor has been booked under sections 324, 504 and 506 of the IPC for allegedly assaulting and intimidating his wife. A copy of the FIR is with MiD DAY.
Trouble had been brewing in their marriage since June 2011 when the couple had signed an MOU, wherein Nandita had requested to be granted two years before an official divorce, putting up certain conditions related to property and other matters.
In July 2011, Nandita and her lawyer had apparently received a letter from Puri's lawyer, asking her for a divorce. However a few months down the line, both decided to give their marriage a second chance but cracks reappeared soon after.
The actor filed for divorce once again in July 2012, with Nandita filing a counter case against him under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, which till this date is being fought out in the court.
Says a source, `Puri hasn't made an appearance at the family court since the last two occasions. He has also stopped coughing up the maintenance amount that was due to his wife. On the night of August 22, Puri allegedly thrashed Nandita at her Seven Bungalows residence and disappeared soon after.`
Another family friend alleges, `He might have done this under the provocation of his ex-wife and good friend Seema Kapoor.` A visibly tensed Nandita says, `The cops were very helpful but it took a while to file the complain. I was sent to the Cooper Hospital to get my wounds examined.
Our dispute has been pending at the court over the maintenance money and I guess he didn't want me to fight the case. Hence, he came and hit me. But neither he nor his advocate was present at the court. He has been booked under a non-bailable offence and I was told that it has to be handled with care, as he is a celebrity.`
As the date of Puri's departure abroad for an upcoming film shoot approaches, Nandita hopes her husband is taken to task soon.
`Such things lead to depression but I can't afford to do so as I have a young son,` she says. Police Inspector C R Thale from the Versova police station states, `We have begun our investigation and will take our next step soon.`
