Accused of poisoning husband and business magnate Jaidev Shroff, Poonam Bhagat files for interim relief. He denies her claim of torture and having an extra-marital affair
Top industrialist and head of United Phosphorus Limited, Jaidev Shroff’s wife Poonam Bhagat Shroff’s Anticipatory Bail Application (ABA) came up for hearing at the Sessions court on Wednesday. She filed the application after Jaidev filed a case against her at Khar Police station on April 4.
Poonam Bhagat
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In his case against Poonam, Jaidev had accused her of spiking his drink with a mysterious powdery concoction on the advice of a ‘Bengali baba’. The said drink had then left him drowsy and disoriented, he said.
Poonam’s application says the allegations made by Jaidev are false. The application states that inhuman treatment was meted out to her while they were married and that she suffered physical and mental violence and even a miscarriage. Poonam claims she was also ready for a quick divorce after she recently learnt about Shroff’s long drawn extra-marital affair that she alleges started in 2013.
Incidentally, Jaidev had filed a divorce petition in October last year. Poonam filed a reply to the same at the Family Court yesterday, citing grounds similar to the ones in her ABA. The application also states that on March 25, Jaidev claims he was drugged, but despite that the couple travelled for a wedding the next day and also went for holiday to the Maldives. If a person is drugged he is supposed to be admitted and not be travelling, the application states.
The Khar police told the court that Poonam would not be arrested until the next hearing. The police also filed their reply to the ABA yesterday. They opposed the ABA. The court posted the application to April 25 for a hearing.
Speaking to mid-day, Jaidev Shroff said, “It's a private matter and I'd rather not get into the details. But she had threatened to 'finish' my family and our reputation. Her charges are nothing more than an effort to malign me. If her claim of my having an affair for long were true, why did she keep quiet for this long? She is no nun."
Lawyer speak
Speaking to mid-day, Poonam’s lawyer Pranav Badeka said, “It is nothing but pressure put to resolve a matrimonial dispute.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the allegations made in the ABA, Jaidev’s lawyer Sameer Tapia said, “The interim relief for the anticipatory bail filed by her (Bhagat) was denied by the court today. However, allegations set out against my client are baseless, which are being made only to cover up the incident of her poisoning my client."
The police had said that investigations had shown that Poonam was in touch with the Bengali baba, who was been arrested.
Poonam and Jaidev dated in 2003 while he was going through a divorce with first wife Romila, and married Poonam in 2005. He has two children from the first marriage and a daughter with Poonam. Poonam belongs to the family behind the Nirlon Group and is sister to headline-maker socialite Sheetal Mafatlal.
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