“Agle Mahine ki tariq di hai court ne” This was the statement made by the young person talking on
the phone sitting next to me in the waiting room of Dadar Railway Station. He
was young somewhere between 25 and 30.
Distress and gloom was written on his face. I, out of
genuine concern asked him what the matter was. Was he facing some court
problems???
And so he poured his story, a painful tale which left me
stunned.
This young man came from a good family and had a thriving
business in the city of Lalithpur, Uttar Pradesh. Life was going good and one
fine day his parents decided to get him married.
Brides were scouted and finally they narrowed their search
down to a girl residing in Suburban Mumbai. She had everything that the groom’s
parents wanted. Caste, Community, family backgrounds and looks. The marriage
ceremony was planned, things went on a normal course and the bride shifted to
her Husband’s City-Lalitpur.
That was three years ago, what happened in the course of
three years was something that i don’t know and the gentleman seated beside me
did not care to tell.
And one fine day his wife shifted back to Mumbai, her
parent’s home and decided not to come back. What was the reason of her odd
behaviour?? Till date even her husband does not know.
All she said that she was not happy with the environment in
Lalitpur, she missed the life of Mumbai.
As it has been done before in the Indian Society, the same
was done in this case, elders tried to negotiate and bring this matter to a
peaceful reconciliation. But alas!! no avail.
And one fine day she filed a case in the court against her
husband seeking for a divorce. The husband was utterly shocked when he got the
summon from the court. “How could she do this to me, i am her husband”, “she
never discussed this matter with me even once”.
And he appeared in front of the metropolitan court in Mumbai
which takes up divorce cases. But an unexpected and unprecedented
disillusionment was in store for him. His dear wife of three years, the wife
that this man loved with his heart and soul so much that he would fight with
the devil to see a smile on her face,
she said this in front of the Judge when asked why she was seeking a divorce?
“Your Honor, it is Dowry Harassment”. And that was it;
these words were enough to leave her Husband shattered. Never had he or his
family ever asked any dowry or had ever harassed her for the same.
His wife had spoken exactly what was told to her by her
parents and relatives. Dowry Prohibition act 1985, invoked to protect women
from the social evil of dowry that plagues our society even today has been a
double edge sword often misused by woman to get a fast track divorce and put
her husband and in-laws in neck deep legal trouble.
For the last three months this gentleman from lalitpur paid
visits to the Mumbai court along with his brother and got no reprieve. This
visit however came with another surprise when he learnt that his wife was
planning for remarriage after getting the divorce.
“Woh mere dil me bas gayi hai bhai sahib, nahi nikaal sakta
usko,is janam mei woh sirf meri hai aur
meri hi rahengi”. “Divorce to usko milega nahi aur agar jo usne kisi aur se
shaadi ki ,to marwaa dunga usko”. A crime of passion seemed to be in its making as
he spoke of revenge.
People say that betrayal by the loved one can break a person
both physically and mentally.
This was the case of the man from Lalitpur wrongly framed by
his wife and his in-laws under the Dowry Prohibition Act.
This is Bhaveen Sheth signing off for the day. I will be
back with more stories and Information.
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