The controversy over Sania Mirza's marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik got uglier, as the Siddiquis, who claim that the cricketer married their daughter Ayesha in 2002, on Saturday sent a legal notice to the Maliks.
This legal notice was dispatched Saturday morning and will take 48 working hours to reach the Maliks in Pakistan.
The family has sent a legal notice to the Maliks on the grounds of defamation, harassment, character assassination and fraud.
Sources said that plans are being undertaken to bring both the families to a discussion table to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Malik too turned to legal services, by hiring a Delhi-based lawyer named Ramesh Gupta, to file a defamation case against the Siddiquis.
Gupta, who has a chamber in Delhi's Patiala House court complex, is a former chairman of Bar Council of Delhi.
He has appeared as defence lawyer in high-profile cases like BMW hit-and-run case and is main lawyer for Rahul Mahajan in the ongoing trial over the latter's alleged drug overdose.
While Gupta couldn't be contacted, his junior aide and advocate, Meena, confirmed that their office had received word from Malik's family in Pakistan.
"Malik's family has instructed us to pursue this case as they feel they are being defamed by the statements being made by Siddiqui and her family. My senior, Ramesh Gupta has been approached to file the defamation suit. We are closely monitoring statements emanating from Siddiqui family and will soon take action,'' she said, adding that legal grounds for slapping defamation charges are being prepared.
The Times of India reported that the suit is likely to be filed in Delhi itself and will seek damages for tarnishing Malik's reputation at a time when he is getting married to tennis star Sania Mirza.
Ayesha and her father have claimed before the media that Shoaib is Ayesha's legally-wedded husband.
In the run up to Sania's wedding, M A Siddiqui has demanded that Shoaib formally divorce his daughter before tying the knot with the tennis star.
The veracity of Shoaib Malik's claim that he was cheated by Siddiqui family is being seriously questioned.
Siddiqui's family friend Dr Syed Shams Babar has revealed that in 2005 Siddiqui and he had received Malik and escorted him to a party at Siddiqui's Banjara Hills residence, reports Mumbai Mirror.
“I sat on the front seat and Shoaib, Siddiqui and the then Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq were sitting on the backseat of a white Sonata car while travelling from the Taj Banajara hotel to their residence,” he said recalling that he referred to the girl as Maha while the father called her Ayesha.
“It was then that I came to know that Ayesha was Maha's nickname,” he said, adding that most of the Hyderabadi Muslim girls were addressed by their nicknames.
“During a conversation in the car, I told Shoaib that he was lucky to have the very intelligent Maha as his life partner. I even told him that an ace sportsman and an intelligent woman should produce brilliant children early. He thanked me for the compliment and the suggestion.”
Dr Babar further claimed that he had seen the Nikhanama issued by the Qazi of Sialkot: “I know Urdu, I read the Nikhanama dated June 3, 2002, that had Shoaib's personal details like age and address, his father's name and similar details of Ayesha.”
It may be recalled that Malik alleged in 2008 that Ayesha impersonated Maha (a different entity according to him) during telephone conversations and email chats.
Apparently, Malik has charged that Maha was Ayesha's friend (and more attractive of the two). Malik claimed to have met them in a restaurant. In this regard, Dr Babar said, “Malik is lying. Why did he keep mum for six long years if he was cheated by the family through impersonation?”
The internationally acclaimed doctor, who claimed that he had nearly 50,000 Pakistanis among his patients, mentioned that he would stand by the girl if either of the parties preferred a legal dispute.
More:
Sania-Shoaib Wedding On April 11 In Hyderabad, Reception in Lahore
Shoaib May Face Lawsuit Before Marriage To Sania
India Rules Out Sania Playing For Pakistan
