Ex-minister, wife move joint divorce plea

Marking the climax of the long-drawn family rift, former Kerala Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar and his estranged wife Yamini Thankachi today moved a joint divorce petition in the family court here.
Admitting the petition, the magistrate posted hearing for October 21 and suggested that they undergo counselling before that date as a final attempt to patch-up.
The joint move was anticipated as the couple had already reached an out-of-court settlement over the conditions for separation and Ganesh even openly expressed regret for the 'unsavoury' comments he had made against his wife.
As part of the pact, Yamini also filed an application in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, seeking to withdraw the domestic violence petition she had filed against Ganesh.

An actor-turned politician and lone nominee of the Kerala Congress(B) in the Congress-led UDF ministry, Ganesh was forced to resign from the Oommen Chandy cabinet earlier this month after Yamini lodged a police complaint of domestic violence against him.
"I feel I got justice. I mainly thank Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and my father-in-law (R Balakrishna Pillai) for this," an emotionally charged Yamini told reporters while coming out of the court.