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Home  » News » PIL guns for NRI grooms

PIL guns for NRI grooms

By M Chhaya in Kolkata
July 01, 2005 02:09 IST
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A match-making agency in Kolkata has moved court to stop non-resident grooms from divorcing their Indian wives in foreign countries.

The marriage bureau says they were forced to approach court after noticing the disturbing trend of divorce decrees received by NRI grooms in foreign courts.

"We went to court because this trend needs to be stopped. It is hardly possible for an average Indian wife to fight her divorce case in foreign courts," said Anindya Sanyal of Relations, a successful marriage agency.

At least 100 women in West Bengal have filed cases demanding restoration of their marriage that has been annulled by divorce decrees their husbands received abroad.

On an average, 225 women get married to NRI grooms in the metropolitan cities every year and around 25 women are "deserted".

The PIL, filed by Relations in Calcutta high court late in June, says most of the divorce cases filed by NRI grooms are settled in their favour because their Indian wives don't have the money to go abroad to contest the cases.

The PIL also said the hapless wives move courts in India, which send summons to their husbands abroad, while the latter simply ignore them.

The petitioners demanded that the high court intervene to get the relevant laws changed.

Currently, Indian marriage laws says a wedding registered in the country can be annulled in a foreign court.

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M Chhaya in Kolkata