CHENNAI: AIADMK MLA A Prabhu's wife Soundharya, who defied her family and recently married him, appeared before a Madras High Court bench on Friday. She said that her marriage was purely consensual and no one forced her. She also denied the claims of her father that she was kidnapped. Recording the submissions, the court allowed Soundharya to leave with her husband and closed the case.
Soundharya and Prabhu, hailing from different communities, got married on Monday. They later put out videos denying the claims that Prabhu had forced Soundarya into the marriage.
Subsequently, Soundharya's father S Swamynathan, a temple priest, filed a police complaint and a habeas corpus petition alleging that Prabhu had kidnapped his daughter who is just 18 years old.
The two-member bench of Justices MM Sundaresh and D Krishnakumar had earlier ordered that Soundharya be physically produced in the court on Friday.
Soundharya came to the court on Friday accompanied by her husband A Prabhu. Only Soundharya and her father were allowed inside the court premises as per the instructions of the court.
Appearing before the bench, Soundharya said that she was in a relationship with Prabhu for several months and nobody compelled her to get married. She also said that the marriage took place in the
presence of Prabhu's parents and it was purely consensual.
Recording the submissions, the court adjourned the hearing for a few minutes and in the meanwhile allowed Soundharya and her father to discuss the issue between them privately.
Later, the court concluded that Soundharya was an adult and she could make her own decisions. The bench closed the case and Soundharya later left with her husband Prabhu.