Divorced women to benefit from inherited property
The Union Cabinet is all poised to table an amendment to the marriage laws, which, in the event of a divorce, would give the wife an equal share of not only the property
acquired by the husband during or before the marriage, but also his
inherited or inheritable property. This proposed amendment is already
creating a furore.
TOI brings you the reactions of Nagpurians.
What's wrong with that?
There are many young, marriageable girls out there, who are not
complaining about this impending amendment. Garima Motwani, a CA, hails
the step and says: "These days, you can't trust anyone. So, this move to
give a share in husband's inherited property to a girl, will secure her
future. In this male-dominated society, it is not easy for a divorced
girl to be independent, and when there is a child to look after, this
share will help her in being economically independent."
'It is reverse dowry!'
The proposed change aims to give the wife an equal share in the
property regardless of whether it was acquired before or after marriage
and regardless of whether it is only in the husband's name or held
jointly. Vivek Sharma (name changed on request), an eligible bachelor,
says: "Earlier, the simple system of streedhan was evolved to give the
girl a part of the family wealth by her parents, which when added with
her husband's wealth, helped in making her lead a comfortable life. Of
course, the dowry system was abused, which led to it being banned. But
now, such unrealistic amendments are being brought in as reverse dowry!
Without any effort, women, who have a malicious intent, will get richer,
usurping the husband's and in-laws' property. The union government is
having a very lopsided approach indeed!"
'Govt is legalising extortion'
If bachelors are worried about the future of their marriage, those who
have suffered in a matrimonial alliance are actually seething. Rajesh
Vakaria, the founder member of Save India Family Foundation, says: "The
government is actually legalising extortion by introducing such
one-sided amendments. It means a woman can wear a mangalsutra, file for
divorce
in a couple of months, and take away the property of the man and even
his family in one sweep. Matlab aaj shaadi kal talaak, patni hogi
malamaal, pati hoga than-than gopal! In this case, the govt should also
bring in a Pre-Nuptial law!"
'It is open to abuse'
Interestingly, there are many single women
out there, who are against the proposed bill. Vidya Singh, an architect
and a single mom, says: "I didn't even take alimony from my former
husband. My parents have given me education, so I can take care of
myself and my kids after the divorce. And when it comes to inherited
property rights post-divorce, I feel when a girl hasn't contributed to
the family wealth or well-being, how does she deserve the share in
family property? Seeing the aggression of the girls these days, I feel there are very high chances of this law being abused!"
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/man-woman/Divorced-women-to-benefit-from-inherited-property/articleshow/19970107.cms
