Wife drags producer to court on dowry charges

Sessions Judge Pratibha Rasal rejected his plea while granting anticipatory bail to his parents on a surety of Rs 10,000 each.

Married on December 4, 1994, Madhuri says the Doshis soon began demanding dowry of Rs 5 lakh. Instead of supporting her, she claims, when she told Gaurang about this, he slapped her till she bled from the nose. Madhuri alleged that when she said she couldn’t pay as she came from a ‘‘modest background,’’ Doshi banged her head against a wall and insisted she arrange for the money. She ‘‘believed that her husband’s barbaric behaviour would cease’’, but he allegedly even made her do menial work when pregnant.

Madhuri further claims that mother-in-law Madhukanta threatened to burn her feet if she did not wear sarees and wore western dresses; Doshi beat her with a belt, burnt her with cigarettes and on one occasion even cut her wrist; tried to strangle her when drunk and took away her jewellery worth almost Rs 13 lakh.

‘‘My husband has vociferously said that being wealthy he has the muscle power to ensure that he will never be proved wrong,’’ Madhuri alleged.

Doshi’s lawyer Harshad Ponda asked: ‘‘The allegations are said to have happened six months ago. Why has she made a complaint now.’’

CASTING COUCH?
Madhuri Doshi charged:
• Doshi brought a junior female artist, Flora Saini, home and made her sleep in the bedroom

• On December 10, 2004, a woman was dressed in her husband’s clothes at home Doshi said he had every right to engage prostitutes

• Daughter Ghena witnessed her father ‘‘being surrounded by two women who were kissing and caressing him’’