Chef Kunal Kapur, who is famous for his stint as a judge in MasterChef India, got married to his wife Ekta in 2008. They have been living separately since May 2015 and their son is under the custody of his wife. Kunal Kapur was recently granted divorce by Delhi High Court on the grounds of ‘cruelty’ by his wife. Here’s a look into the case which will make one realise that behind the sweet smile and wholesome food videos was a story of immense pain, and emotional and physical torture.
According to the details that have been revealed about the case and the accusations that Kunal Kapor levied against his wife, he met Ekta on a matrimonial site and before the marriage, Kunal had made it clear to her that he would stay with his parents and take care of them, to which she agreed.
At the time, Kunal’s father owned a Maruti Zen car which Kunal used to travel for work. Ekta allegedly pressured him to purchase a luxury car, knowing well that Kunal was struggling to make expenses meet. He was taking care of all the expenses of the household as well as his parents. Ekta apparently used to belittle him in front of his parents, calling him a man of limited means and someone who couldn’t afford a big house.
In fits of rage, Ekta would allegedly throw crockery at him and his parents.
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In April 2010, Ekta quit her job without informing Kunal and when asked about it, she said that it was his duty to maintain her. She would sit idle at home, not help with household chores, not look after her in-laws, sleep till late hours and behave aggressively with the family.
Kunal Kapur, on the other hand, tried to make the marriage work and keep her happy by taking her on vacations, both within the country and internationally. He also enrolled in a three-day inter-personal development course conducted by the Landmark Forum in the year 2009. However, Ekta did not mend her ways.
In July 2010, Kunal was selected for MasterChef India and Ekta allegedly couldn’t handle his fame. She harassed him, picked fights for menial reasons, and was a constant source of humiliation for him. She even called the police on him at home and at Yashraj studios where MasterChef India is shot. When Kunal started to gain recognition, she threatened him with false criminal complaints and once even slapped him before he left for the shoot.
After the birth of their son in 2012, she did not care much about the newly-born, would leave the house without informing anybody and go to the mall.
In an incident that occurred in December 2013, Ekta screamed at Kunal in front of their son and abused him and his parents. She even physically assaulted him which was captured in video by Kunal’s father. Ekta tried to snatch the phone away from him and even picked up a stick to hit him.
In another incident that occurred in 2014, Ekta allegedly threw a plastic chair at Kunal’s father in a fit of rage. For the safety of his parents, Kunal bought a 3 BHK house in Gurgaon for them to stay in.
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In 2015, an incident happened that was the last straw. Again, in a fit of rage, Ekta left the house in her night clothes and sat outside the gate in front of the security guards and the neighbours. Unable to tolerate any more humiliation, Kunal separated from her.
Ekta had denied all allegations stating that Kunal has no respect for the institution of marriage and is dishonest as a parent.
A division bench comprising of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Neena Bansal Krishna observed that the conduct of the wife towards him has been such that it is “devoid of dignity and empathy towards him”. On Tuesday, Chef Kunal Kapur was finally granted a divorce from his wife.
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