Don’t go easy on NRI wifedeserters

The proposal to cancel/impound passports of offenders could save lives

Idid not even get time to grieve after my wife died of breast cancer. I was too busy fighting for my daughter, Sarita, whose husband left her,’ Jalandhar resident Jai Gopal told HT recently. According to the National Commission for Women, there are 346 complaints from women married to NRIS in 2014. It has never been easy for these women to get justice. Speaking to HT earlier, Punjab women commission chairperson Paramjit Kaur Landran admitted that abandoned wives can “grow old” fighting such cases because it’s “not easy to get NRI grooms extradited”. But there could finally be some hope for these women, thanks to a set of proposals that the government is considering: A high-level panel has recommended that NRIS who harass their wives or desert them could face impoundment or cancellation of their passport. The panel has also recommended that cases of domestic violence be included in the scope of extradition treaties that India signs with other countries.

Earlier in the year, the Centre had also promised to set up a single-window portal for Indian women facing abandonment or divorce or other problems from their NRI husbands. The new site will have advice on how to proceed with a case, including approaching the Indian mission, seeking help of empanelled lawyers and NGOS, etc. It will also have precautions to be taken before marrying an NRI. Currently, measures include legal and financial assistance for women who face abandonment or divorce proceedings within 15 years.

If the panel recommendations are accepted, it will be a lifesaver for those who have been wronged and, will hopefully, work as a deterrent for men from behaving in an irresponsible and heartless manner. But let’s not forget that much of the problem can be avoided if parents of women do proper due diligence before finalising such marriages.