No respite for twice married CRPF jawan

Tajdar married a second time without informing CRPF.

In a judgement of its kind, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has validated the CRPF’s decision of forcibly retiring one of its jawans Tajdar Khan who did not seek permission of his higher ups before marrying a second time.

Khan, who hails from Kupwara, had petitioned the court that he was forcibly retired from active service although two marriages are lawful under the Muslim Personal Law. Khan explained to the court that his first wife’s prolonged illness forced him to opt for a second marriage.

Khan married a young woman Razia Begam without taking into confidence his first wife and three children. He did not inform his higherups in the CRPF either. His first wife Naseema Begam approached her husband’s unit commandant, who issued a show cause notice to Khan.

Khan tried to save his job by divorcing his second wife but the CRPF was not convinced. Khan then moved court on the grounds that there were provisions for a second marriage without divorcing one’s first wife under Muslim Personal Law. But the J&K High Court maintained that the action taken by CRPF authorities against him was just and appropriate.

A single bench of Justice Hasnain Masoodi said that the decision taken by the CRPF was correct as the petitioner had not only violated Rule 15 of CRPF rules 1955, but also made the lives of his two wives miserable.

The court observed that Khan’s inhuman behaviour was at display when he tried to throw his first wife and three children out of his house to accommodate Razia Begam. Later, he also did injustice to his newlywed second wife by divorcing her. Justice Masoodi ruled that Khan cannot get any relief from the court as his petition did not hold any merit.