In a Facebook update, Anand Pradhan, the estranged husband of TV journalist Amrita Rai, has appealed to friends and well-wishers to respect his privacy and stand by him in these difficult times.
After Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh admitted to his relationship with Pradhan's wife and Rajya Sabha TV anchor Amrita Rai on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, Pradhan, who is an associate professor in Indian Institute of Mass Communication, wrote: 'I am going through difficult and testing times. Amrita and I have lived separate lives for a long time. We have applied for divorce with mutual consent. It is a legal procedure which takes its own time. But the relationship we once had ended long ago.'

Intimate pictures of the Congress leader with Rai were leaked recently on the Internet and had gone viral.

Pradhan said Rai was free to decide about her future. 'Amrita is free to take decisions about her future and I respect them. I also wish her the best for her future life,' he wrote on Facebook.

Pleading with his friends to respect his privacy, Pradhan wrote, 'I know many of my friends, well-wishers, students and colleagues are feeling sorry for me. But more than that, I also know they are with me. I am sure I will come out of these difficult times. I expect you all to respect my privacy. One gets to recognise one's friends on such occasions.'

Appealing to friends and well-wish.