Auli (Uttarakhand): Bollywood celebrities reached Uttarkhand's Auli to attend the high-profile wedding celebrations of sons of controversial South African businessmen Ajay Gupta and Atul Gupta.
Celebrated Bollywood singer Kailash Kher reached Auli two days ago while Urvashi Rautela and Katrina Kaif also attended the ceremony. At the same time, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Acharya Balakrishna also arrived at the venue.
The wedding functions began on Wednesday amid close monitoring by district authorities following Tuesday's Uttarakhand High Court order. The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday allowed the event on condition of a ₹1.5 crore security deposit for compensating any damage at the pristine ski resort.
Disposing of a PIL filed by Rakshit Joshi, a Kumaon-based advocate, the High Court said the first instalment of ₹1.5 crore can be deposited within two-three days. The court also asked the Chamoli district authorities and the state Pollution Control Board to monitor the wedding. The second instalment of ₹1.5 crore can be deposited at a later date if required, the court said.
The wedding of Ajay Gupta’s son Suryakant is taking place from June 18 to June 20, and that of Atul Gupta’s son Shashank is scheduled from June 20 to June 22. The controversial NRI business family is reportedly expected to spend around ₹200 crore on the weddings.
The Guptas had hit the headlines last year for their proximity to Jacob Zuma who was ousted as South African president and is now facing corruption charges. Their posh home in the plush Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold was raided by South Africa’s elite police in February last year. The Gupta family had moved to South Africa from Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh in 1993.
Read: Uttarakhand HC allows Guptas' wedding in Auli
