The Delhi High Court on Monday granted police protection to superstar Chiranjeevi’s daughter Srija and her husband Sirish Bharadwaj and asked the actor to clarify whether he would accept their marriage. The couple, who got married against the wishes of their elders at Arya Samaj mandir in Bowenpally in Hyderabad on October 17, had approached the court expressing the fear that Chiranjeevi’s family might harm them.Telugu film superstar Chiranjeevi’s newly wed daughter Srija (centre) and son-in-law Sirish Bharadwaj (left) come out of the Delhi High Court along with their lawyer after seeking police protection on Monday. They feared threat to their lives
The Delhi High Court on Monday granted police protection to superstar Chiranjeevi’s daughter Srija and her husband Sirish Bharadwaj and asked the actor to clarify whether he would accept their marriage. The couple, who got married against the wishes of their elders at Arya Samaj mandir in Bowenpally in Hyderabad on October 17, had approached the court expressing the fear that Chiranjeevi’s family might harm them.
In Hyderabad, Chiranjeevi’s actor-brother Pavan Kalyan made a show of surrendering his weapon saying he had no need for it now. It can be reclaimed any time and he did not surrender the weapon’s licence, police said later. After police dogged the couple’s friends for days, Pavan Kalyan said the couple faced no threats and declared, “They should not waste the time of the police which has other things to do.” In their petition, Srija and Sirish said they were afraid of a fate similar to that of Rizwanur Rehman, who married a Hindu girl and died under mysterious circumstances.
Justice S.N. Dingra asked the Delhi police to give them protection and to see to it that they faced no danger. He also directed Chiranjeevi’s counsel, Maninder Singh, to submit an affidavit during the next hearing on October 29, clarifying whether he would accept the marriage of his daughter Srija to her classmate Sirish. Mr Singh said that the actor had already blessed his daughter in a television appearance and reiterated that the couple faced no threat from the family.
“I am very happy that my father’s lawyer disclosed before the court that he has no problems about my marriage,” Ms Srija told reporters later. “I also heard my uncle Pavan Kalyan’s statement that the family will not harm me. I will depend on his word and go to Hyderabad.” Srija said, “I am extremely happy after the court’s decision. I thank my advocate and the judiciary. I thank particularly my friends who are in trouble after helping me.”
She added that the family did not agree to the marriage as they belonged to different castes. Sirish alleged that the Hyderabad police had revived defunct cases against him and was also harassing his friends. He denied that he had once abducted a minor girl and said he had only taken her to a movie. “The case against me was closed in 2002. Why did it crop up now after our marriage? It was a false case,” Sirish said.
Ms Pinky Anand, who appeared for Srija and Sirish, said the couple feared for their life since Chiranjeevi was an influential person. “They travelled for two days from Hyderabad to Delhi via Goa to take shelter. They came to the capital by changing so many vehicles,” she said. Ms Anand added, “The court was like a family counsellor. It recorded the statements of both of them. The court asked how Sirish would lead a family life. Both of them come from well-to-do families.”
“The police in Hyderabad is harassing the friends of Sirish and Srija who helped in their marriage,” Ms Anand said. “They are implicating him in false cases. There are two to three cases against him including kidnapping.” The couple alleged in their petition that after their marriage, they went to the office of the North Zone deputy commissioner of police in Hyderabad seeking protection but got no response.
However, a senior officer of the north zone police in Hyderabad refuted the allegation and said the couple did not seek any protection. Meanwhile, Pavan Kalyan, actor and brother of Chiranjeevi, on Monday deposited his revolver with the Jubilee Hills police in Hyderabad to disprove Srija’s allegation that there was threat to her life from her own family.
The actor came to the station dressed in white dhoti and shirt and displayed his revolver to the media. “My brother Chiranjeevi bought me this revolver,” he said. “I am depositing it with the police as it is of no use to me now.”
He also told mediapersons that he became aware of the couple’s affair four months ago. “A fan also told me that they were planning to elope but I kept it to myself,” he said. “My brother perhaps chose not to inform me as it believed that I am aggressive.” Sirish and Srija need not fear for their life as the family was not even trying to trace them, said Mr Pavan Kalyan.
“They could have taken our consent but they chose to run away,” he said. “But it is okay. We want them to be happy wherever they are. They should not waste the time of the police who has other things to do.” “The actor deposited the revolver but did not surrender the licence. He did not approach the licence issuing authority for cancellation of his licence though he stated that he did not need the weapon anymore,” said Jubilee Hills inspector M. Srinivas Rao.
“In case he intends to surrender his licence, he has to give it in writing to the licence issuing authority,” the inspector said. “He can claim his revolver at any time. So many people deposit their guns with the police. It is not a big issue.”
The weapon licence has been with the Jubilee Hills police station since 2002 while Pavan Kalyan has been holding the licence for the last 15 years for self protection. His brother Chiranjeevi also holds a weapons licence.
The actor also chose Monday to announce formation of an NGO, Common Man Protection Force, to help ordinary citizens and minor girls forced into prostitution. He said there was no political motive behind the decision and added that it would complement philanthropy work being undertaken by Chiranjeevi.
