Elizabeth Hurley & Arun Nayer could face jail over 'breached' customs at Indian wedding

10 Apr 2007 

Newlyweds ELIZABETH HURLEY and ARUN NAYAR could face three years in jail after being accused of breaching Hindu customs with their Indian wedding last month (MAR07).

VISHNU KHANDELWAL - who has never met the couple - has begun legal proceedings against the newly married pair insisting they broke with Hindu law. And he claims Arun's father VINOD NAYAR has offered to testify against his son and daughter-in-law.

The pair have been disowned by Nayar Sr. after he claimed he and his second wife JOANNE were made to feel like "second class citizens" at the ceremony.

And despite legal experts claiming it is unlikely the couple would end up in jail, the prosecution will use their £2 million ($3.9 million) magazine deal with Hello! as evidence against the couple.

Prosecuting lawyer HM SARASWAT says, "An arrest warrant could be issued for Arun and Liz as soon as the prosecution has made its case - either because they are summoned to give evidence or they have been found guilty".

"We have our own religious beliefs including that the bride and bridegroom must behave soberly, and in this case they have both taken drink. Pictures of kissing in Hello magazine is against our culture. We are using the Hello! pictures to prove our case".

"Vinod Nayer told me that when Arun Nayer and Liz Hurley came to the marriage mandap (marriage place), Arun Nayer left his footwear outside the mandap but Liz Hurley refused to remove her footwear".

"When we worship we must remove our shoes because we pray to God and at that time shoes should be removed. Our intention is to prove that the proceedings adopted by both the accused for their marriage is against our Hindu rites."