Supreme Court Issues Notice On Anubhav Mohanty’s Plea Seeking Quashing Of Criminal Case Filed By Ex-Wife In Matrimonial Dispute; Odisha Government Asked To Respond As Actor Challenges Orissa HC Order
The Supreme Court issued notice on an appeal filed by former Odisha MP and actor Anubhav Mohanty, seeking to quash criminal proceedings launched against him and members of his family by his ex-wife in an ongoing matrimonial dispute.
A Bench comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi directed the State of Odisha and other respondents to file their response on Mohanty’s Special Leave Petition (SLP).
The SLP challenges an Orissa High Court ruling that had refused to discharge Mohanty from the case.
Advocates R.D. Singh and Divya Tripathi appeared for the former MP. The petition, filed through AoR Ashish Choudhury, challenges the High Court order dated January 30, 2026, which affirmed the trial court’s decision refusing to discharge Mohanty and his family members from the offences alleged in FIR No. 276/2020, registered at Purighat Police Station, Cuttack.
Background of the dispute
Mohanty and his former wife both prominent figures in the Odia film industry married in 2014. As per the petition, the marriage was never consummated and later broke down irretrievably.
Mohanty states that he filed for divorce before the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi in July 2020. He alleges that after this, his ex-wife initiated multiple proceedings against him, including a complaint alleging domestic violence and other complaints to the police.
The criminal proceedings currently in issue, he says, stem from a complaint filed in December 2020, alleging offences under Sections 498-A, 506, 341 and other provisions of the IPC.
Arguments before Supreme Court
Before the Supreme Court, Mohanty argued that the criminal proceedings were initiated “with the sole ulterior motive of wreaking vengeance” against him and his family.
The petition states that the allegations are “wholly baseless, vague, omnibus in nature and devoid of any cogent material or specific particulars”, and that the dispute is essentially matrimonial in nature.
The plea contends,
“The criminal law has been invoked as a tool of harassment and arm-twisting in what is essentially a civil and matrimonial dispute,”
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Mohanty further alleged that the investigating officer ignored material that he provided during the investigation and added further offences when submitting the charge sheet.
The plea also points to subsequent developments. Mohanty obtained a divorce decree from the Orissa High Court in December 2023, citing cruelty and non-consummation of the marriage. Further, in April 2025, a Magistrate court dismissed the domestic violence complaint filed by his former wife, observing that she failed to establish any domestic violence and had not produced medical evidence to support the allegations of assault.
Mohanty submitted that the Orissa High Court dismissed his criminal revision petition “mechanical manner” without properly evaluating the ingredients of the alleged offences or considering the surrounding facts and evidence. He has sought quashing of the criminal proceedings arising out of FIR No. 276/2020, along with an interim stay on proceedings before the trial court.
When the matter was listed before the Bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi, the court issued notice and called for responses from the respondents. The petition will be considered after replies are filed.
Case Title: Anubhav Mohanty v. State of Orissa
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