In a significant twist to the ongoing legal saga between actor Celina Jaitly and her Austrian entrepreneur husband, Peter Haag, it has been revealed that Haag had already initiated divorce proceedings months before Jaitly filed her domestic violence plea and sought divorce in India. This revelation, coming from Celina's legal team, adds a new layer of complexity to their marital dispute.
The Divorce Proceedings: Who Filed First?
Niharika Karanjawala Misra, a lawyer from Celina Jaitly's legal team, reportedly disclosed that Peter Haag had filed for divorce earlier this year in an Austrian court. This legal move by Haag came months before the former Miss India initiated her own domestic violence proceedings against him and also filed for divorce.
The report by NDTV suggests that Haag's decision to file for divorce was a step he took after the actor discovered that properties in Vienna were being sold without her knowledge. In his case filed in Austria, Haag is attempting to establish that Celina has no claim over their shared assets. The lawyer further alleged that Haag is holding Celina responsible for the breakdown of their marriage, having refused her request for a mutual divorce made for the sake of their children.
Allegations of Abuse and the Fight for Dignity
Meanwhile, Celina Jaitly's side of the story paints a distressing picture of the marriage. According to a PTI report, the actor claimed she was forced to flee her home in Austria and return to India after suffering severe emotional, physical, sexual, and verbal abuse at the hands of her husband.
In her domestic violence plea, the 47-year-old actor alleged that after their marriage in 2010, Haag prohibited her from working. She described him as a "narcissistic, self-absorbed individual" with "a short temper and alcoholic tendencies," which she claimed consistently caused her stress. The plea listed several specific instances of physical and verbal abuse.
Following the divorce filings, Celina took to her Facebook account, writing a lengthy post about "promises she believed in, were broken in silence." She emphasized that her priority remains "fighting for her soldier brother, fighting for her children’s love, fighting for her dignity."
Legal Demands and Personal History
In her legal filings, Celina Jaitly has sought a direction from the court that her estranged husband pay a sum of ₹50 crore as compensation and an additional ₹10 lakh per month as maintenance.
The couple's relationship began when they met through a family friend at a gathering in Dubai. After tying the knot in 2010, they became parents to twin boys in March 2012. Five years later, Jaitly gave birth to another set of twin boys, but tragically, one of them passed away due to a hypoplastic heart. Peter Haag, who maintains a low profile and shies away from media attention, has an Instagram profile with zero posts and no followers.
