Renowned playback singer Udit Narayan, already under public scrutiny after a viral video showed him kissing female fans during a concert, is once again in the spotlight for unfavorable reasons. This time, his first wife, Ranjana Jha, has initiated legal action against him, alleging violation of her rights and misappropriation of her property. He recently appeared before the Supaul Family Court on February 21, where he rejected any possibility of a settlement.
According to the Navbharat Times, Ranjana Jha’s legal representative, Ajay Kumar, revealed that she wishes to reunite with Udit Narayan due to her advancing age and health concerns. Despite the court’s attempts to reconcile the two, the veteran singer stood firm in his refusal to live with her.
Their troubled history dates back to December 7, 1984, when Udit and Ranjana married. However, following his rise to fame in 1988, he allegedly distanced himself from her. In 2006, after escalating disputes, Ranjana approached the Women’s Commission, where he reportedly promised to provide her with financial support, including a flat, but later failed to fulfill his commitments.
This led to a fresh maintenance case being filed in the family court. In his written defense, Narayan accused Ranjana Jha of attempting to extort money and providing false information to the court.
He also mentioned that a prior dispute had been settled mutually at the Bihar Women’s Commission in 2013, where he agreed to a monthly payment of Rs 15,000, later increased to Rs 25,000 in 2021. Additionally, the singer claimed to have given her a house valued at Rs 1 crore, agricultural land, and jewelry worth Rs 25 lakh.
Despite these claims, she countered by alleging that he withheld Rs 18 lakh from a land sale in Nepal and continued to deny her rightful status as his wife. She also accused him of harassment when she attempted to meet him in Mumbai.