KOCHI: The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday submitted before the Kerala High Court that the marriage between Kumbh Mela- fame Monalisa Bhosle and her husband, Farman Khan, is invalid. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, submitted: “This marriage took place in a Hindu temple in Kerala. Under Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, a marriage can be solemnised only between two Hindus. One party here is Muslim. Therefore, it is not a valid Hindu marriage. Believing that there is a valid marriage, the minor girl is cohabiting with Farman Khan.”
During the hearing, counsel appearing for Monalisa and Farman submitted that, with the help of the state machinery, Monalisa’s birth certificate had allegedly been forged to portray her as a minor. The counsel further alleged that certain fundamentalist groups were also involved and had threatened an honour killing if the couple returned to Madhya Pradesh.
The court orally remarked, “You are lucky that you are in Kerala.” In response, the counsel said, “Yes, that is the reason why we are alive now.”
The Madhya Pradesh government further argued that the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), a constitutional body , had conducted an inquiry through its director and other competent officials.
The Commission found that the date of birth of the alleged victim/minor is December 30, 2009, and that she was 16 years, two months, and 12 days old as of March 11, 2026, the date of the purported marriage.
M Saseendran, counsel for the couple, who sought anticipatory bail in the case registered by Madhya Pradesh police based on the complaint of Monalisa’s father, submitted that the father had travelled to Kerala in connection with her film commitments and was aware of the relationship between the couple. According to the petitioners, the father initially consented to the marriage but later lodged a complaint after returning to Madhya Pradesh after being influenced by some fundamentalist.