Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay's wife Sangeetha has approached the Chengalpettu Family Court seeking a divorce.
The marriage between the parties was first registered in the UK on July 10, 1998 (the wife being a UK citizen), and a ceremonial marriage took place in Chennai on August, 25 1999.
In her plea, Sangeetha has alleged that the actor had been in an adulterous relationship with an actress since April 2021, which has caused her emotional pain and mental suffering, and has betrayed the marital trust. She has stated that though Vijay had initially assured that he would end the adulterous relationship, it continued, subjecting her to prolonged mental cruelty.
She also states that though she attempted to resolve the issue amicably, no resolution was reached, and the matter was deferred, considering the children's studies and emotional well-being.
She has also submitted that Vijay has been neglecting her emotionally, mentally, and physically, and has withdrawn from conjugal relations, distancing himself from her deliberately.
She also submitted that Vijay continued to travel abroad with the actress, who even posted photographs of it on social media, which were neither denied nor objected to by Vijay. She submitted that these posts, which were widely circulated, caused repeated humiliation to her and the children. She added that the actor's continued association with the actress has been causing embarrassment and agony to her and the children.
She added that all this time, she had attempted to settle the issue amicably and had exchanged several notices through her counsel silently to avoid any public scandal. However, since all attempts at an amicable settlement failed, she had no alternative but to approach the court seeking dissolution of the marriage under Section 27(1)(a),(b),(d) of the Special Marriage Act. She has also sought a right of residence at the matrimonial home and permanent alimony commensurate with Vijay's income and social standing.
Noting the sensitivity of the issue and the publicity of the parties involved, she has also sought in-camera proceedings to protect their privacy. She has also sought an interim injunction to restrain media houses from hosting, interviewing, or publishing any material related to the proceedings.