Know your rights: How men can protect their finances while going through a divorce
In a country where women usually bear the financial brunt of divorce and are victims of dowry and domestic abuse, most advice and sympathy are directed towards them. In the process, men are often ignored when it comes to highlighting their financial and legal rights in a divorce, or even when they are victimised in fake cases of abuse and dowry. To gain an upper hand during divorce proceedings, women are known to file fake cases to put pressure on their husbands.
In fact, in a recent observation, Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi of the Jharkhand High Court said that although Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code was introduced to address cruelty inflicted by husbands and their relatives, it is now being misused by women. Mumbai-based Vikas Singh knows it all too well. His former wife filed a fake case of domestic abuse against him when talk of divorce came up after just a year of marriage.
“While many men would have agreed to pay a huge sum to dismiss the case, I was prepared to face a court trial because I was aware of my legal rights,” says the 44-year-old businessman. The result? His wife ended up paying Rs.12 lakh as damages for filing a fake case, besides shelling out Rs.1.75 lakh as his legal fee. Typically, however, men end up bearing a heavy financial burden, especially where the woman is a homemaker and financially dependent on him.
Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
