Actor Raghuvir Yadav released from jail

MUMBAI - Television actor Raghuvir Yadav, known for playing the title role in the comedy series “Mungeri Lal ke Haseen Sapne”, was set free by a city court Monday after he made a part payment of settlement dues to his divorced wife.

Yadav, arrested Friday from Mumbai Central for not paying his estranged wife Purnima her alimony for many months, was earlier remanded to judicial custody till Monday.

The actor was released after he partly paid the amount due to his wife and offered to pay the balance by June 14, Sumangala Biradkar, Purnima’s lawyer, told mediapersons here.

“Yadav paid Rs.250,000 to Purnima and would be paying the rest by June 14,” she added.

According to Purnima’s lawyer, Yadav owed her a total sum of Rs.450,000.

V.S. Thambe, Yadav’s lawyer, said: “We had given an application to the Bandra Family Court that Yadav will pay Rs.2.5 lakh today (Monday). An undertaking has also been given that Yadav will pay the remaining amount of Rs.2 lakh June 14. The family court has stamped the application and stayed Yadav’s arrest warrant till June 14.”

“Although I could not attend the hearing today, I have given a no-Objection certificate to another lawyer, Tara Hegde. Hegde represented Yadav in the court today and will do so June 14,” said Thame.

Yadav and his wife got divorced in 1996, but the actor failed to pay maintenance for Purnima and their son Achal.

In the court, Yadav cited financial problems for being unable to pay the alimony.

The actor was arrested after his wife alleged he was avoiding payment of maintenance. Purnima also alleged that he had failed to turn up for court hearings for the last eight months.

On Friday, Purnima spotted Yadav in the Mumbai-bound Rajdhani Express as she was also travelling by the same train. Purnima alerted the Government Railway Police (GRP) officials at Mumbai Central railway station, who arrested Yadav and handed him over to the suburban Dindoshi police.

Purnima, who had married Yadav in 1988, alleged that her ex-husband was asked to pay a maintenance of Rs.20,000 per month, which was later brought down to Rs.10,000 but that she didn’t receive the money.