Celina Jaitly lodges domestic violence case against husband

The former actor has sought compensation of ₹50 crore for mental and emotional distress caused by domestic violence, ₹50 crore for loss of earnings or professional visibility, and ₹10 lakh in monthly maintenance.

MUMBAI: Former actor and model Celina Jaitly has filed a domestic violence case against her estranged husband, Austrian hotelier Peter Haag, before a metropolitan magistrate court.

Celina Jaitly lodges domestic violence case against husband

On Tuesday, the court issued a notice to Haag on Jaitly’s petition, which accused him of “continuous acts of domestic violence” throughout their 15-year marriage. The former Miss India has sought compensation of ₹50 crore for mental and emotional distress caused by domestic violence, ₹50 crore for loss of earnings or professional visibility, and ₹10 lakh in monthly maintenance. Haag has been directed to appear in court on December 12.

Filed on November 21 through law firm Karanjawala & Company, Jaitly’s petition invoked various sections of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (DV) Act, 2005. It describes Haag as a “narcissist” and a “self-absorbed individual” who showed “no empathy” towards her or their children.

According to the petition, the couple got married in Mumbai on September 18, 2010 and later registered the marriage in Austria. They lived across Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore and Austria. They had twins in 2012 and another set in 2017, one of whom died shortly after birth due to a congenital heart condition.

Jaitley claimed that although she had an established career before marriage, but was gradually “robbed… of her financial independence and dignity” as Haag allegedly restricted her from working and made her financially dependent on him.

The former actor alleged that the abuse began soon after their wedding. Her petition recounts an incident during their honeymoon in Italy, where Haag allegedly “flew into an inexplicable rage, screamed at her and smashed a wine glass against the wall” after she sought medical attention.

The petition recounts further incidents during her 2011 pregnancy, alleging that Haag shouted at her, drove recklessly despite medical advice and caused repeated spikes in her blood pressure. In one instance at a Dubai mall, he allegedly walked away angrily when she said she felt unwell, leaving her there until she called him, begging to be taken to a hospital.

On the morning of her scheduled caesarean section, Haag allegedly became enraged at being woken up early and called her demeaning names, causing her blood pressure to rise so sharply that the surgery had to be delayed by two hours.

After the twins were born, Haag allegedly pushed her out of their Dubai apartment while she was in breastfeeding clothes and recovering from surgery, telling her to “get out of his life,” until a neighbour intervened.

The petition claimed this pattern of behaviour continued in Singapore, including an incident where Haag, allegedly drunk, struck her on the back, leaving a handprint, because she washed feeding bottles herself when he refused to help. He also allegedly told her she looked like his “maidservant” and would be mistaken for domestic staff.

In addition to physical and verbal abuse, Jaitly has alleged financial coercion. She claimed that Haag “calculatedly hoodwinked her into giving him control of her assets and finances”, pressured her into transferring her Mumbai flat to him in 2019 when she was mentally vulnerable and later rented it out without her consent, earning about ₹1.26 crore. She has challenged the gift deed in a civil suit.

The petition further alleged that Haag siphoned money from her accounts, misappropriated insurance policy proceeds, used her debit and credit cards while pretending to pay her bills, and induced her to close her bank accounts when she was in a vulnerable mental state. She added that he acted with “bad faith and mala fide conduct” and sought to ensure she had no control over her assets.

Jaitly claimed that the abuse escalated to the point where she “was forced to flee” their home in Austria in the middle of the night and return to India, leaving behind her three children. She added that Haag has prevented her from contacting their children since she initiated legal proceedings over the Mumbai flat, allowing her only one supervised meeting on November 14.

The petition also includes medical records diagnosing her with psychovegetative overload as a result of the alleged abuse.