Asian Age Report

The Asianage (8/14/2006 12:58:00 AM)

Husbands unite to combat wives allegations of cruelty

Mumbai, Aug. 13: From serving 20 days in jail to living in fear of being arrested, the cases may differ, but the story remains the same for the 50 men who met on Sunday to discuss harassment by their wives under the anti-dowry laws.

Under the banner of Save Indian Family Foundation, the men met to discuss their experiences with their divorced wives and to spread greater awareness about the misuse of the Section 498(a) of the IPC which deals with cruelty by the husband towards his wife.

Dinesh Chaturvedi (name changed) spent 20 days in jail in Madhya Pradesh when his wife accused him and his family of demanding dowry from her.

“We got married in 2003 in Bhopal where her father and brother are famous lawyers. However, we constantly had quarrels at home since she felt I was not earning enough and wanted us to move out of my parents house in Mumbai. She had been living away from me in Bhopal for almost a year, after which she filed a complaint against me and my family, alleging that we had been torturing her for dowry,” said Dinesh.

He was then arrested along with his family members and was taken from Mumbai to Bhopal.

However, he was able to secure bail from the Bhopal high court later.

In another case, Rudolph DSouza, who has been attending court proceedings for the last 7 years, after his wife filed a complaint against him alleging mistreatment, said, “We split up on account of her adultery and she then promptly filed a complaint of harassment against me due to which I have not been able to see my son for the last 7 years.”

Moreover, since the case is still pending at the Vasai court he is forced to make trips from his workplace in Kuwait to India every time he has to attend the court proceedings.

“I have to spend approximately Rs 40,000 per trip and my former wife has not even appeared before the court once, on account of which my case just drags on,” said Mr Dsouza.

A senior citizen, Mr J. Sharma, said that his daughter-in-law has misused the law to harass them. “She was at our house only for 40 days after which she left and three years later she filed a case against my son and others alleging ill treatment. She does not want to acknowledge the marriage but she still does not grant my son a divorce,” said Mr Sharma.

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