YouTuber Armaan Malik and his two wives, Payal and Kritika Malik, are in murky legal waters over their marriage. Armaan, who became famous from his Big Boss OTT 3 appearance, along with his two wives, has been summoned by a Patiala district court in two separate cases. They are supposed to appear in court again on September 2nd.
The summon comes after a petition filed by Davinder Rajput, who has alleged that Armaan Malik has not just two, but four marriages. If found true, it would be in violation of the Hindu Marriage Act, which permits only one marriage at a time for individuals practising Hinduism.
The petition further accuses Armaan and his wife, Payal of offending religious sentiments, claiming that Payal appeared dressed as the Hindu goddess Kali in an Instagram video. The petitioner argues that this act insults religious beliefs and constitutes a punishable offence under Indian law.
On July 22, the couple visited the Kali Mata Temple in Patiala, offered prayers, and issued a public apology. The following day, they went to another Kali temple in Kharar, Mohali, where Payal reportedly began a seven-day religious penance involving temple cleaning and rituals. They did all of this to placate the public.
They even travelled to Haridwar, to seek forgiveness from Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Kailashanand Giri of the Niranjani Akhara. But at this point Payal got sick and she had to be admitted to the hospital immediately.
Polygamy is illegal for Hindus in India
While Armaan Malik, formerly known as Sandip Jangda, is legally married to Payal Malik, his marriage to Kritika Malik is not recognised under Hindu law, which governs their marriage. He married Payal Malik in 2011 and then Kritika in 2018, without ending his first marriage.
In fact, his marriage to Payal was not his first. Armaan was earlier married to a girl named Suchitra. However, the two got divorced.
Although there were speculations that Armaan changed his religion to marry Kritika, Payal later told the media that he still belongs to the Jatt community and is Hindu.
The Malik family is famous for creating content online.