Actor Hansika Motwani is facing fresh legal woes after the Bombay High Court dismissed her petition to quash an FIR filed by her estranged sister-in-law, Muskan Nancy James. The FIR accuses Hansika and her mother Jyoti (also known as Mona) of cruelty and other criminal charges. We obtained a copy of the court’s order that has dismissed Hansika’s petition.

A source tells us, “Nancy and Prashant Motwani, Hansika’s brother, had a lavish wedding ceremony in March 2021. However, their marriage was strained from the start. A year later, the two started living separately.”

Last December, Nancy had filed an FIR against Hansika and her mother under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 498A (dowry-related cruelty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 352 (criminal intimidation and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).

In her complaint, Nancy alleged domestic violence that she claims caused Bell’s palsy, and detailed demands for expensive gifts and money from her in-laws, as well as undue interference from the actor and Jyoti during her marriage to Prashant. She also alleged the Motwanis pressured her to sell her flat.

In February, Hansika and Jyoti secured anticipatory bail from the Mumbai Sessions Court. In April, they approached the Bombay High Court to quash the FIR, but on Tuesday, the court dismissed their plea, allowing the trial against Hansika to proceed.