This story begins in February 2014 where Indian Cricketer Yuvraj’s Singh’s younger brother Zorawar Singh gets married to one Akanksha Sharma from Gurugram. Zorawar was only 21-years of age and an aspiring actor at that point in time.
Post marriage, the Indian Cricketer had taken to social media to welcome his bhabhi to the family. His message then read:
The new family member My dear baby Akanksha welcome home. Wish my younger bro Zorawar and Akanksha a happy married life.
The wedding was held at Mani Majra in Chandigarh with the blessings of both families.
Zorawar had recently completed his acting course from the Kishore Namit Kapoor Institute in Mumbai and had been signed for a movie. However, this marriage soon crumbled and within 14 months, the couple filed for mutual divorce in April 2015.
October 2016
Fast Forward to October 2016 – Akanskha is now seen in the Bigg Boss 10 house, where she revealed to be the ‘ex-bhabhi’ of cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
Akanksha shocked everyone when she made some startling confessions while entering the house on the premiere night, where she made the rift in her marriage public. Sharma through the show, was on a spree making one-sided allegations about her mother-in-law Shabnam Singh and how the Singh family forced her to have a male child.
Although, Akanksha’s stint on the reality show couldn’t last long, but these allegations became TRP fodder for media.
DNA portal then got access to the mutual divorce papers filed by the couple, which stated that ‘no dowry, gifts or cash were taken by the Singh family.’
The divorce papers also mentioned that the couple visited various destinations post marriage, namely, Goa, Dubai and Malaysia, but Sharma always remained reluctant to come close to her husband. The petition further added how Akanksha pestered Zoravar to shift to Gurugram, where her parents resided. According to Zorawar, abiding by all her demands was his biggest mistake.
Zoravar had also made some shocking statements in his divorce petition where he claimed late night outing by Akanksha, returning home drunk and even being under substance abuse with her friends. Whenever, the husband or his family would try to put a check on her, Akanksha would allegedly get furious.
The petition even suggested that Akanksha had refused to visit a marriage counsellor, despite Shabnam and Yuvraj trying to pursue her for the same.
Zoravar also accused Akanksha for her endless financial demands and how she would create a scene if the same were not fulfilled. The petition even read how Akanksha would post indecent pictures on social media to humiliate their family and that she was even beyond the control of her own parents.
Shabnam Singh Files Defamation Cases Against Estranged Daughter-in-Law
Following one-sided allegations by Akansha on National TV, Zoravar’s mother Shabnam Singh took the legal route by filing defamation cases against Sharma.
DO WATCH: Actor Pradeep Rawat Speaks About His False 498-A Case | Siddharth Kannan | Voice For Men India
2017 – Domestic Violence Case
Though the couple had filed for mutual divorce in April 2015, Akanksha approached a local court in Gurugram on August 2, 2017 and submitted a petition alleging harassment, torture, and physical violence perpetrated upon her by her husband and in-laws. Sharma had filed the case under various sections of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 (PWDVA) where she had not just named her husband Zorawar, but also made mother-in-law Shabnam Singh and brother-in-law Yuvraj Singh party to the same.
After the court summoned the trio in the said case, Akanksha’s lawyer Swati Singh Malik spoke to media and said,
Yes, Akanksha has filed a case of domestic violence against Yuvraj, her husband Zorawar and their mother Shabnam. Look, domestic violence does not mean just physical violence.
It also means mental and financial torture, which can be attributed to Yuvraj. Yuvraj was a mute spectator to the suffering caused to my client by Zorawar and his mother.
Adding further, the counsel added:
When Yuvraj and Zorawar’s mother was pressurising Akanksha to have a baby, Yuvraj too had joined in to do the same. He too told Akanksha ‘to have a baby’.
He was hand-in-glove with his mother. Yuvraj would even tell her that she should obey his mother because she was the most superior person in the house.
Statement by Singh Family
Subsequently, a media statement was put out by Damanbir Singh Sobti, the lawyer for the Singh family, who refuted Sharma’s allegations and said that the case had been filed to get mileage and it would not stand judicial scrutiny.
Adding further, Sobti shared that the case has been filed despite a compromise being worked out between Sharma and Zorawar, where all her demands were being fulfilled.
He further said that a case of divorce with mutual consent between the duo was pending in Chandigarh, but this DV case perhaps was the fallout of criminal and civil defamation cases filed against Sharma by Shabnam Singh, after her Bigg Boss allegations. He also added:
There are certain misrepresentations being made in the social media that a criminal complaint or an FIR has been registered against my clients on the basis of false and baseless allegations. No such FIR or complaint has been filed.
Akanksha has filed a petition under Section 25 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (which is a civil case) and my clients have been summoned as respondents and their counsel shall appear on their behalf on the date fixed before the court at Gurugram.
March 2019 – Love Blossoms Again For Akanksha
Even before her divorce officially came through, Akanksha had now found love in one Delhi based Abhiraj Chadha, whom she met during MTV’s Ace of Space Show.
When quizzed about remarriage in one of her interviews, Akanksha then had replied,
I am blessed that I have found love again. I am not yet saying that we are going to get married. People close to me have started asking me this question. Lekin pehle Zoravar se divorce to ho jaye.
July 2019 – Akansha Agrees For Mutual Divorce With Zoravar
On September 2, 2019, Zoraver and his estranged wife finally settled the matter, where Zoravar agreed to pay one time alimony to Akanksha, putting an end to four years of marital dispute and other litigations, thereby, paving the way for a mutual separation. This divorce came after a mutual compromise deed was submitted by both parties in the district court of Chandigarh in July 2019.
Aap Chronology to Samajh Hi Gaye Honge!
What did the compromise deed state?
- Shabnam Singh & Zoravar to withdraw criminal defamation cases, subject to Akanksha issuing a public apology
- Shabnam Singh to withdraw a civil suit filed against Akanksha where she had accused the daughter-in-law of stealing Rs 2 crore jewelry and other items from their home
After the divorce came through, Malik who represented the wife once again gave a public statement clarifying:
Akanksha wanted to close the matter and move on with her life. The marriage lasted only six months, while the separation and the litigation had been much longer. She did not want to drag a dead relationship any further.
Zoravar’s legal team, on the other end, shared that they were relieved. Sobti who fought on behalf of the Singh family said:
I am glad better sense prevailed and the case was settled by mutual consent. We had been striving for that for years now.
DO WATCH: Mohammed Shami’s Estranged Wife Hasin Jahan Moves Supreme Court For Arrest Warrant Against Him
Full & Final Settlement
Zoravar paid a total sum of Rs 48 lakh to Akanksha in two installments while filing the first motion (25 lakh) and second motion (23 lakh) for divorce.
Public Apology by Akansha
As a part of compromise deed, Akanksha had apologised not just in six different Courts, but also put out a public apology through her social media handle which read:
My matrimonial dispute has been resolved. I regret any hurt and loss caused to Zoravar Singh, Shabnam Singh and Yuvraj due to the allegations made by me inadvertently. I withdraw all my allegations and apologise for the same.
The matter was closed, where Zoravar and family would not file any more complaints against Akanksha, while Akansha on the other hand, would not make any further media statements against her ex-husband’s family.
Voice For Men India Take:
- Matrimonial laws in India are not made for justice
- These laws are actually made to arm twist the husband and his family, until they agree to one time alimony or the woman finds new love
- One would argue that the husband’s family in this case was influential and thus it is them who compelled the woman to accept money and close the case
- However, the sequence of events surely indicate that the ‘false’ charges were only dropped, when the woman found a new man and wanted to move on in her life
- Rs 48 lakh may sound paltry given the background of the husband’s family, but the bigger question to ask, is why should any alimony be paid to an educated working woman when the couple co-habited together only for six months?
- If the in-laws are public figures, their names are surely added to matrimonial cases, by threatening and maligning them, thereby, putting more pressure for settlement
- The process for divorce battles is itself a punishment, and thus most often the husband and in-laws choose to ‘buy their peace’ even if they have not been proven guilty by any court
- While every single person in India will stand up against the practice of dowry, we don’t have even a handful of people questioning the practice of legal extortion of husbands – better known as alimony
- We are not taking sides in this case, because a marriage can genuinely fail due to non-compatibility from both sides
- Financial support for wife must be encouraged, where parties have lived and built assets together over a number of years
- But why should alimony become a default norm for women where marriages have not even lasted beyond 2-3 years?
- Cases like these will be read as a gossip story, but imagine if this is the state for powerful resourceful families, what would be the plight of a common middle class man, who is forced to submit himself to a legalised reverse dowry
DO WATCH:
BIGAMY | Can I Live-in With Girlfriend Without Divorce? | Rajasthan High Court | Voice For Men
DO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW:
#YuvrajSingh Brother Zoravar Singh's False Domestic Violence Case: All Charges Dropped After Permanent Alimony
"Matrimonial laws in India are not meant for justice, they are meant to arm twist husbands & their families.."@YUVSTRONG12@ArnazHathiramhttps://t.co/Ju1FR35wEF
— Voice For Men India (@voiceformenind) May 29, 2024
Join our Facebook Group or follow us on social media by clicking on the icons below
If you find value in our work, you may choose to donate to Voice For Men Foundation via Milaap OR via UPI: voiceformenindia@hdfcbank (80G tax exemption applicable)
Follow Us
