Kama Of Kingstone

An allegedly fudged residence certificate and the absence of divorce documents have put a question mark on the legal validity of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's marriage with Manyata in Goa.

According to the state government, a residence certificate submitted by Manyata for registration of the wedding has been kept under suspension until the completion of an ongoing inquiry.

The inquiry into the authenticity of the residence certificate was ordered earlier this week by South Goa collector G P Naik. The marriage registration cannot be legally documented without the couple furnishing "certain papers" that are mandatory, officials said on Saturday.

Sub-registrar of Salcete (South Goa) Chandrakant Pisurlekar said the office of 'mamlatdar' (a senior revenue official) has issued a letter, which says the residence certificate of Manyata should be kept under suspension pending the completion of the inquiry.

The residence certificate of Manyata is under investigation as it didn't have the signature of the 'mamlatdar', the official who issues the certificate. The residence certificate, submitted by Manyata saying she had stayed in Goa for six months, has only the signature of 'talathi' (a lower level revenue official). The 'talathi' has been suspended for issuing an "illegal" residence certificate.

Pisurlekar said along with the residence certificate, both Dutt and his wife require to submit documents of their divorce as well. "Both are divorcees. So the documents should include divorce papers too," he said.