Husband moves court in domestic violence case

Vijayawada: For the first time, a married person in Vijayawada filed a petition in the local court seeking compensation from his wife for the mental agony he had undergone and financial loss he suffered due to marriage and domestic relationship with his wife.

• Local court will begin hearing in the case on February 21
• The petitioner alleges that his wife cheated on him and is demanding Rs 10 lakh as compensation
• First time in Vijayawada, a man has moved the court in domestic violence case
• Petitioner Gogu Ram Kumar says his wife was already married and divorced and she did not inform him about her past history

The petitioner, Gogu Ram Kumar, filed a petition through senior advocate Puppala Srinivasa Rao on the agony he had undergone during the four months of his married life. Ram Kumar in his petition said that he was cheated by his wife. He informed that his wife was already married and divorced and did not inform him about the past history during the marriage.

He said that he married the woman in question in August 2017 and since then has been facing domestic violence particularly mental agony due to harassment of his wife, who is humiliating and insulting him over petty reasons. Interestingly, both work in a private organisation (automobile dealer showroom near Benz circle) and fell in love and married.

The victim in his petition alleged that she had lodged a false complaint against him under the Section-498A and is also blackmailing him to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh. The First Additional Chief Metropolitan Court has admitted the petition and will begin hearing of the case on February 21, 2018. The case number is 3/2018 of the DV Act.

Women generally file criminal cases against domestic violence to get justice or compensation from their husbands. Every year, hundreds of domestic violence cases are registered across the State against husbands basing on the complaints lodged by their wives.

The judgment given by the Supreme Court in a dispute between a couple has become a milestone in the Indian judicature. The apex court had deleted a word ‘adult male’ in the Domestic Violence Act.

Consequently, both men and women can be victims of domestic violence in their domestic relationship. A man can also face mental and physical harassment due to the attitude of his wife and can file petition in the court seeking justice and compensation for the damage he suffered due to domestic relationship with wife.

Till now, women used to lodge complaint to the police on their husbands about the domestic violence. Now, the trend may change in future as the Supreme Court in its judgment in the case of Hiral P Harsora and others Vs Kusum Narottamadas Harsora struck down the word ‘adult male’ before the word person in section 2 (q) of Domestic Violence Act holding that these words discriminate between persons.

The apex court felt that men can also move the court in domestic violence. This will be very helpful to men, who face harassment from their wives, said the advocate Puppala Srinivasa Rao, the counsel of the petitioner.

The senior lawyer said the petitioner had narrated the agony he has been undergoing since his marriage in August 2017. The court also admitted the case and would summon the parties for the trial, which will begin next month.

Now, husbands can claim damage and compensation from the wives as per the changes made in DV Act. Family members like father and mother of the man can also move the court seeking justice if they face harassment from the daughter-in-law.

The petitioner, Ram Kumar, informed the court that his wife had been blackmailing him and demanding compensation of Rs 10 lakh. The petitioner claimed that he had not taken dowry since it was a love marriage and he had spent Rs 3 lakh for marriage and other expenses.