JODHPUR, India - An Indian court will this week hear testimony that British
model Elizabeth Hurley and her husband Arun Nayar mocked Hindu traditions with
their "showcase" wedding, a laywer said Tuesday.
Indian businessman Arun Nayar (R) walks with his wife
Elizabeth Hurley and her son Damian (obscured) as they arrive at Jodhpur
Airport, 10 March 2007, before boarding an aeroplane for Mumbai.
[AFP]
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A decision whether the glamorous
couple should be prosecuted in the desert city of Jodhpur -- where they wed a
month ago but may now risk jail -- could come as early as next week, said lawyer
Hastimal Saraswat.
The pair staged a lavish ceremony at a Rajasthan fort that was exclusively
covered by celebrity magazine Hello!, which reportedly paid two million pounds
(3.9 million dollars) for the rights.
But after seeing the pictures in the magazine, an angry Jodhpur resident
hired Saraswat to take legal action.
"Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar insulted Hindu tradition and I want them to be
severely punished," Vishnu Khandelwal, a devout Hindu who runs a printing press,
told AFP Tuesday.
The court has already heard from two witnesses, including Khandelwal, and
will hear testimony from at least three more, including a Hindu priest, said
lawyer Saraswat.
Khandelwal said he was upset when he saw Hurley and Nayar had taken alcohol
prior to the religious rites and kissed near the sacred fire that Hindus hold to
be the witness to the marriage.
"They sat on a sofa and they were supposed to sit on the floor," Khandelwal
added.
His petition to the court -- which will decide whether or not to prosecute --
also pointed out that Hurley wore leather footwear near the fire, in a land that
worships the cow.
"Liz and Nayar had already married in Christian tradition. In spite of this
to make a profit they did a showcase marriage in Jodhpur," said Khandelwal.
The couple wed at an English castle prior to heading east for their Indian
nuptials.
The bride's own father-in-law is considering testifying against the couple in
the case, the lawyer said.
Vinod Nayar told Sunday tabloids in Britain he had severed ties with his son
after the younger Nayar ejected him from the marriage proceedings at Hurley's
behest.
"He is very upset with Liz," said Saraswat. "He has told us that if you need
help in court I will give it."
The petition was filed under section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code, which
makes it an offence punishable by three years in jail to "outrage" any group's
religion with "deliberate and malicious intention."