MY MARRIAGE IS ‘NOT LEGAL’: TMC MP NUSRAT JAHAN

Trinamul Congress MP and actress Nusrat Jahan claimed on Wednesday that her marriage to businessman Nikhil Jain was not valid in India and it was only a live-in relationship, adding that their separation happened long back.

Jahan’s explanation came amid speculation about her relationship with Tollywood actor Yash Dasgupta, who contested the West Bengal Assembly election this time as a BJP candidate but lost, and her pregnancy.

Jahan’s claim has triggered a controversy as the Lok Sabha website shows her status as “married” to Jain following their much hyped wedding on June 19, 2019, a month after she was elected MP of Basirhat in North 24 Parganas.

Countering her claim, Jain said that he has already moved the court for their separation. They have been staying separately since last November.

In a detailed statement issued on Wednesday, Jahan said, “Being on a foreign land as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, the ceremony is invalid. Moreover, since it was an interfaith marriage, it requires validation under the Special Marriage Act in India, which did not happen. As per court of law it is not a marriage, but a relationship or a live-in relationship. Thus, the question of divorce does not arise. Our separation happened long back, but I did not speak about it as intended to keep my private life to myself. Thus, my actions must not be questioned based on ‘separation’ by the media or anybody I am not related to. The alleged marriage is not legal, valid and tenable and thus was not a marriage at all in the eye of law.”