Chennai, 27 Feb

Sangeetha Vijay, wife of actor-politician and TVK founder Joseph Vijay Chandrasekar has petitioned a court near here seeking divorce.

She has accused her husband of having an extra-marital relationship with an actress and that he has subjected her to "persistent mental cruelty, neglect and desertion". If required, shesaid she would implead the actress as second respondent.

Sangeetha has filed the petition at a jurisdictional family court in Chengalpattu District near here. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on 10 April.

The marriage has broken down irretrievably, she said in her plea filed under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 seekingdivorce.

The petitioner said she prayed the court to conduct the entire proceedings in camera.

Unless an interim order of injunction is passed by court, restraining social media platforms, YouTube Channels, Facebook pages and other print/media outlets, from hosting interviews, public discussions or publishing any material relating to these proceeding, in print or digital media, in accordance with legal provisions, the petitioner and their family would be subjected to further humiliation and mental agony, she submitted.

Since 2021, the respondent (Vijay) has "emotionally withdrawn," treated the petitioner with verbal disdain and subjected her to "constructive desertion, forcing her to live separately within the matrimonial home."

The respondent's continued open association with the actress caused emotional agony to the petitioner and embarrassment tothe children among their friends, social circle and on social media. The petitioner, in order to avoid unnecessary publicity and protect the reputation of all parties, refrains from disclosing the name of the actress at present.

However, if warranted, the petitioner reserves her right and undertakes to implead the said actress, as second Respondent, in the main petition.

Despite her silence to avoid a public scandal, the petitioner, through her counsel, exchanged several notices and correspondences between August 2024 and February 2025, hoping for an amicable resolution.

In addition to issuing and exchanging legal notices, the petitioner made two earnest attempts, to explore a mutually honourable exit through personal discussions with the respondent, the last of which took place on 9 November, 2025. However both attempts to arrive at a mutually acceptable and amicable settlement failed, despite the petitioner's intention to avoid causing any harm to the respondent's public standing.

The petitioner is therefore left with no alternative but to approach the court, she contended.

The marriage between Sangeetha and Vijaywas first registered on 10 July, 1998 in the United Kingdom. Thereafter, a ceremonial marriage was performed on 25 August, 1999 in Chennai, according to the petition.