Anita Advani-Rajesh Khanna relationship: SC rejects plea; Actor claimed Dimple, Twinkle and Akshay evicted her from superstar's house

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain former actor Anita Advani’s plea seeking legal recognition of her alleged relationship with late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna as a marriage. The bench described the case as “luxury litigation” while dismissing her challenge to a Bombay High Court order. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale said it found no reason to interfere with the high court’s April 1 order.

Advani’s lawyer told the court that the case was about securing dignity for her client. The counsel argued that the civil suit seeking a declaration of her relationship with Khanna was rooted in her desire for recognition. However, the bench was not persuaded by the argument and declined to entertain the petition.

How the legal battle between Anita Advani and Rajesh Khanna’s family began

Advani claimed that she had been in a live-in relationship with Khanna for several years before she was asked to leave his Mumbai bungalow, Aashirwad, in 2012. The eviction allegedly took place after Khanna’s estranged wife, veteran actor Dimple Kapadia, along with their daughter Twinkle Khanna and son-in-law Akshay Kumar, intervened. Khanna died in July 2012.


Following his death, Advani approached the courts seeking legal recognition of her alleged relationship with the superstar. Her civil suit was rejected by a Mumbai sessions court in 2017, prompting her to challenge the decision. The Bombay High Court subsequently dismissed her appeal, leading her to approach the Supreme Court.

Anita Advani’s domestic violence complaint

The legal dispute also involved proceedings under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. In 2013, Advani filed a complaint before a magistrate against Kapadia, her daughters and Akshay Kumar. She sought monthly maintenance and a three-bedroom apartment in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra area.

Kapadia and her family challenged the complaint, seeking the dismissal of the proceedings. In 2015, the Bombay High Court quashed the complaint, holding that Advani’s relationship with Khanna did not qualify as a relationship in the nature of marriage under the domestic violence law. The court also observed that Khanna’s family members could not be drawn into the proceedings when Advani had never lived with them.

Who is Anita Advani?

Anita Advani is a former actor who appeared in a handful of films, including Saazish and Daasi. She came into the spotlight over her claim that she had shared a long-term domestic relationship with Rajesh Khanna, one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated stars. Khanna, widely regarded as Bollywood’s first superstar, died in July 2012. His personal life and relationship with Kapadia had attracted public attention for years.

(Inputs from PTI)