'MasterChef' judge Kunal Kapur granted divorce on grounds of 'cruelty'
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has officially finalized the divorce of celebrity chef Kunal Kapur, citing "cruelty" from his estranged wife as the primary cause for their separation.
The presiding judges, Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna, underscored the wife's lack of respect and understanding toward Kapur in their verdict.
They stated that her conduct was devoid of dignity and empathy toward him, bringing disgrace to the marriage.
Verdict details
Court condemned wife's unsubstantiated allegations against Kapur
The HC noted that Kapur's estranged wife had made "wild allegations" against him with the intention to "disrepute" him in court.
The bench stated that she failed to provide any specific instance or proof of her accusations of infidelity and extra-marital relations, apart from photographs based on her presumption.
"Such baseless arguments, when made about a person who is regularly in the public eye, have long-lasting effects on his reputation. Therefore, such an act amounts to cruelty," the bench underscored.
Allegations
Earlier, Kapur alleged cruelty and disrespect from wife
Kapur, who married in 2008 and became a father in 2012, alleged that his estranged wife disrespected his parents and belittled him.
Before HC, Kapur—who was a judge of MasterChef India—claimed she threatened to spread false rumors about him as his fame grew.
Kapur also accused her of frequently involving law enforcement to intimidate him and his family, adding distress to their strained relationship.
Counter-claims
Wife refuted Kapur's claims, accused him of 'misleading court'
In response to Kapur's allegations, his wife has reportedly refuted all the claims and accused him of concocting stories to mislead the court and secure a divorce.
She insisted that she had always tried to communicate with her husband like a loving spouse and remained loyal to him throughout their marriage.
The court took note of these counter-claims during the proceedings.
Incident review
Court reviewed incident of disruption at 'MasterChef India' shoot
The court also examined an incident from 2016 when Kapur's wife reportedly disrupted the shooting for MasterChef India at Yash Raj Studios.
The incident was considered part of the evidence in the divorce proceedings.
In addition, the court's order acknowledged that "marital discords are an inevitable part and parcel of every marriage."
However, the order added that if these disagreements escalate to disrespect and inconsideration toward a spouse then "the marriage itself loses its sanctity."