Family courts to settle Indian marital disputes

Press, 30 August 1984, Page 6

Family courts to settle Indian marital disputes

NZPA New Delhi The Indian Parliament has approved the establishment of family courts to expeditiously settle marital disputes. ‘The courts preferably would be headed by woman judges,” the Minister of Law, Mr Jagan Nath Kaushal, told the ruling lower House. He described the legislation as “progressive and revolutionary.” The courts would initially be set up in cities with populations of more than one million and would exclusively handle issues relating to separation, divorce, alimony and conju-

gal rights. The courts would later be established in smaller cities.

“The emphasis in the family courts will be on reconciliation,” the Minister earlier told the upper House.

The national Parliament passed legislation imposing harsher penalties on dowrygreedy relatives in a move to curb harassment of young married women.

The traditional practice of dowry, although outlawed in 1961, has continued because of social pressures on parents to marry their daughters at a young age. In recent years, there

have been many cases of “bride burning,” in which dowry-hungry relatives have been accused of killing or driving young wives to suicide.

Police say brides are subject to increasing harassment- by in-laws not satisfied with the size of dowry given by parents. The new legislation increases maximum imprisonment for acceptance of dowry from six months to two years. Husbands and inlaws suspected of dowryconnected violence would be liable to immediate police arrest without warrant or bail.