Action on Arzoo Govitrikar's charges of husband assaulting her in a drunken rage; The Dadar Metropolitan Court issues restraining order against businessman Siddharth Sabharwal
Sharmeen Hakim and Lata Mishra (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 4, 2019)

More than two months after film and TV actress Arzoo Govitrikar approached the Worli police against her husband, businessman Siddharth Sabharwal, alleging that he repeatedly assaulted her in alcohol-fuelled rage, the Dadar Metropolitan Court last month ordered Sabharwal to not enter the couple’s Worli house till further notice. Metropolitan Magistrate R M Karade also directed that Sabharwal should not accost Govitrikar, and that the copy of his order be sent to Worli Police Station. Govitrikar, who married Sabharwal in March 2010 after a brief courtship, resided with him at their house on Pochkhanawala Road in Worli, before she moved out in February following what she termed as “another round of brutal assault”. Metropolitan Magistrate Karade’s ex-parte order, issued without hearing Sabharwal’s side, noted that the magistrate was “satisfied that an ex-parte order was necessary, as the photographs attached with Arzoo’s complaint prima facie suggested that she had been subjected to domestic violence”.

Mumbai Mirror was the first to report the complaint filed by Govitrikar – sister of model-actress Aditi Govitrikar – in which she submitted the CCTV camera footage of February 15, which showed Sabharwal slapping her. The complaint, filed on February 19, said that the couple had an argument over Sabharwal’s alcohol consumption, after which he “dragged her inside the bathroom around 4 am and hit her viciously”.

The complaint said that after another round of arguments on February 22, Sabharwal “spat” on Govitrikar and “repeated the act” when she protested. Subsequently, the Worli police booked Sabharwal under the Indian Penal Code sections 498A (cruelty), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (insult with intention to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insulting woman’s modesty).

Sabharwal had told Mirror then that Govitrikar was making up stories of assault, and that she was the one who “asked him to slap her” saying she was “rehearsing for a crime show”.

Magistrate Karade, however, cited the 2013 order issued by the Bombay High Court, which had noted: “No matter that a man may alone own a particular house, he has no right to be violent against his wife or the woman he lives with, and if the court sees any violence, he must be restrained from entering upon the residence essentially to secure the wife and children against further violence.”

The magistrate also said that assets owned by Sabharwal, as presented by Arzoo’s lawyers Ishika Tolani and Anagha Nimbhkar, were also looked at. “I have considered the copy of will of the respondent (Sabharwal). It shows that he owns and possesses several accommodations,” Karade noted while issuing the restraining order.

Sabharwal said the matter was subjudice and he will not comment on it. Govitrikar too refused comment citing personal issues.