JULY 15, 2004
The Times of India
July 10, 2003: Susmita Bose weds software engineer
Subimal Sen.
January 2, 2004: Susmita and her parents are at the
marriage counsellors' seeking a divorce.
February 3, 2004: Subimal, who was away in the US,
flies down to sort things out. But the Boses are adamant.
Sen is asked to make a choice: A complaint under Section
498 A of IPC (cruelty towards bride), or a hefty one-time
alimony. Sen opts for the latter option.
March 21, 2004: Divorce was agreed upon, and Susmita
got richer by Rs 10 lakhs that she was granted as
alimony.
A pretty long tale has been cut short here to take
a look at one of the latest social trend. "When
it comes to choosing between their daughters' happiness
and money, some parents, I'm afraid, are increasingly
lured by monetary gains. They force their daughters
to seek a divorce instead of sorting out trivial marital
issues," said Justice Dilip Basu, chairman, Legal
Aid Service (LAS), West Bengal. "We've seen at
least 10 such cases over the last one year. The first
word uttered by the parents is divorce," added
Justice Basu.
Sociologist Ruby Sain echoed, "I've seen this
happening to a colleague. She threatened to file a
case under Section 498A. The groom's family got scared
and settled for divorce after paying up Rs 4 lakhs
as alimony."
Additional commissioner of police (I), Partha Bhattacharjee,
said, "During my stint with the CID, I came across
several cases where Section 498A was misused. The
law is absolutely needed because a large number of
women genuinely need it. But the flip side of things
also must be taken into account."
According to Justice Basu, LAS has managed to stop
some of these divorces by talking to the daughters.
"But more and more parents are coming to us as
we also help people get divorce by mutual consent.
This takes only six months, whereas a normal annulment
case may take five years," said Justice Basu.
Sanlap, an NGO, is currently doing a research on
the misuse of Section 498A. Citing another such case
in Sonarpur, Rama Sarkar, a member of Gana Unnayan
Parshad, said, "The groom was ill-tempered. The
couple often had fights. Three months after the marriage,
the girl's family came here to file a divorce suit
without giving the marriage a second chance. I think
this is a dangerous trend."
Lawyer Bishnu Charan Ghosh, who's handled about 100
such cases, agreed. "Parents are suddenly all
too eager to get their daughters divorced. Hefty alimony
may be a good reason," said Ghosh.
