Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Kumbh Mela fame Monalisa and her husband Farman have filed a petition before Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court challenging the cancellation of her birth certificate and seeking an independent investigation into alleged criminal conspiracy, forgery of government records, submission of fake documents and communal incitement.
Monalisa, who became widely known during the Maha Kumbh Mela, married Farman, a man from a minority community. The couple had earlier approached the Kerala High Court seeking protection and were granted relief. However, Monalisa’s father later lodged an FIR in Madhya Pradesh.
The petition, filed through advocates BL Nagar, Subhash Chandran and Anirudh KP, states that Monalisa and Farman met during the shooting of the Malayalam film Nagamma and entered into a relationship voluntarily. It alleges that her father attempted to force her to return to Madhya Pradesh and marry her cousin through an arranged marriage.
According to the plea, Monalisa approached Thampanoor Police Station in Kerala on March 11 complaining of threats and coercion. The Kerala Police allegedly verified her documents through official government portals and confirmed that she was an adult entitled to marry a person of her choice.
The couple married on March 11 at Arumanoor Nainar Deva Temple in Poovar, Thiruvananthapuram and later registered the marriage under the Kerala Registration of Marriage (Common) Rules, 2008.
The petition claims Monalisa’s date of birth is consistently reflected in official records, including her birth certificate, Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID card, establishing that she became an adult on January 1, 2026. It further states that these documents were verified by Kerala Police in the presence of her father, who raised no objections at the time.
The plea also alleges that police officials from Madhya Pradesh repeatedly travelled to Kerala after the FIR was registered at Maheshwar Police Station in Khargone district, causing fear and harassment to the couple and forcing them to frequently change residences.
The petitioners claim her birth certificate was maliciously cancelled on a government portal after the marriage without notice or authority, amounting to forgery and tampering with public records. They further allege that the FIR is based on a fabricated birth certificate intended to falsely portray Monalisa as a minor.
Arguing that Monalisa is an adult and the marriage was voluntary and legally valid, the couple has sought quashing of the FIR, contending that no offences under kidnapping laws or the POCSO Act are made out against Farman.
