Cheran’s daughter says she wants to live with boyfriend’s mother

Damini had earlier filed a police complaint against her father for allegedly intimidating her boyfriend — Photo: R. Ravindran

Film director Cheran spent agonising moments in the Madras High Court on Monday when his daughter Damini told the court that she would rather stay with her boyfriend’s family.

The director has been against her relationship with Chandru, a dancer in a reality show, whom the daughter fell in love with. He claims that Chandru had already cheated several women and had even proposed to his elder daughter through a social networking site.

But Damini, who had filed a police complaint against her father for allegedly intimidating her boyfriend, told the court that she would like to go with her ‘would-be’ mother-in-law.

She made the statement before a Division Bench, comprising Justices V. Dhanapalan and C.T. Selvam, when a habeas corpus petition filed by the Chandru’s mother came up for hearing.

The mother, Easwari Ammal of Choolaimedu, said her son and Damini were in love with each other and urged the court to direct the police to produce the girl, then in the custody of the Vigilance Home in Mylapore, and set her at liberty.

Accordingly, the girl was produced. When questioned by the by the Bench, Damini said she was 20 years old, single and wanted to go to the petitioner’s (boyfriend’s) family and not to the Vigilance Home.

The Bench then made enquiries with Mr. Cheran and his wife, who broke down in the court. Mr. Cheran objected to sending his daughter with the boyfriend’s mother. His counsel submitted that considering the sensitivity of the matter, in-camera proceedings may be arranged so that the court could be informed of the real position.

Counsel on either side suggested that Damini may be allowed to stay in a mutually agreed place till Tuesday. Following this, the Bench enquired with senior counsel N.G.R. Prasad as to whether he could put Damini up for a day. He accepted the request.

Accordingly, the Bench requested her to go to the residence of the senior counsel at Kilpauk. The Bench posted the matter for August 6 for in-camera proceedings. She will be produced before the court on Tuesday.