BROKENKI

NSHI
PINFAMI
LYLAW
~M.Aswi
nRomePonSar
avanan
I
IyearBBA LLB (
Hons.
),SchoolofExcel
lencei
n
Law
Tami
l Nadu Dr
. Ambedkar Law Uni
ver
sit
y,
Chennai
I
ntr
oduct
ion
Ki nshi pandi tsv al
uescanbeseenov erflowi ngi nt heRai lwayst ations,air portsand
l
ong- dist ancebusst ands,t het earsar eatedgesoft hegaz ef rom t hesenseofsoulwhen
theycan’ tt oler atet hei rfami lymember sl ongt rav elsshowst hei nf luenceofhumanl oves
overt hef ami l
yl aw.Thenot iont hatf ami lysy stem cameaf tert hepr oper t
ybecomesa
quest ionmar ki nt hishumanl ov e.Humanv al uesof t
endemonst ratingt hatfami lyt iesarea
bondt hatt ranscendst heeconomi c.Thepur poseoff ami lylawi st obenot hingmor et han
thei ntentt hatf ami lymember sandt heirinterper sonalr elationshi psandf eelingsshoul dnot
behur tordi stor t
ed.I fsuchal awwer et obeenact ed agai nstt hese, i
twoul dshaket he
basi cr oot soft hehumansoci et y.Thedi mensi onsofI ndianf ami lyl aw hav eof tenbeen
car efulnott ot arni shf ami l
yr elations.Butsomet i
mesi ndividualr ightsandhumanr ightsr i
se
abov et hest at usquof orf ami lyr el ationshi ps.Someper sonsi nor dert opr ev entf ami l
y
relati
onsf rom col lapsi ngt or napar tt hei ndi vidualr i
ght sandcal ledf orf ami l
yl aw.Just
becauseoft hesepeopl ealonet hej ointf ami liesandcul turalv aluesembr acingt hehuman
dignityofI ndi a.Somet i
messomepeopl eassumet hatindiv i
dual ri
ght sar eaf fectedbyf ami l
y
organi zat i
onr athert hanf ami lyr elat i
onshi psandappr oachest hej usti
ce.Thi smakesa
mandat or ycondi ti
on f orj udi cialaut horityt o pr onounce t heirj udgementi nf avourof
i
ndi vidualbenef i
ts.Thi shur tsf ami lyr elationshi ps.Thei mpl i
cat ionsofnon- humanf ami l
y
relati
onshi ps ar et he cause oft his questf orhuman r ight s,whi ch resultsi n some
amendment si nf ami l
yl awandmanysuggest ionsshar edbyj udiciary .Indianf ami l
yl awsand
j
udi ciaryf ormanyt imebr ingingt ot heirnot icet hathumanr ight sandhumanv aluesshoul d
notgoi not herdi r ect i
on.
1
Fami
lyl
awsi
nPr
e-Hi
stor
icPer
iod(
5,300y
ear
sandago)
Thest oneageper i
odcanbecl assi
fiedintoPal aeoli
thic,Neol i
thicandMet alage.I n
thepr imaryday st hehumanspr acti
sedhunt i
ngwi t
ht hest ones2.Buti ntheNeol ithi
cage
humansst artedwor shi
pingt henature,i
tgotst rengthenedi nt hemet alage3.Thecust oms
arebasi cel ementoff amilylaw.Thecust om ofhumansacr ifi
cewaspr acti
sedatt he
4
Neol i
thicage.Thesecust omsdef inedwor shi
pandi tsprocessaswel l.Thesecust omsar e
thebasi cconcer nsoftoday’sfamilylaw.Ther ef
ore,theel ement soff ami l
yl awar ef oundin
thestoneagei tself
.Noonecandenyi t
.Hencet hest arti
ngpoi ntofFami lylawi sstoneage.
Thehunt ergat herersofSout h-
westAf ri
cahel psust ounder standt hef actorswhi chmi ght
hav egivenr iset otheinsti
tuti
onssuchasf ami l
y,mar ri
ageandki nship5.Thehumansat
primar yNeol i
t hicagest art
edhunt i
ngf orthepeopl ewhoar et heirbelongi ngsi.e.,their
kinshipforthei rfoodaswel lastopr ot
ectthemsel ves.Forthepr otecti
ont heyst artedlivi
ng

1
DanielWi
l
son,Pre-
Histor
icManVol.1,1862pg.14
2
ibi
d
3
Patri
caDNetzl
ey,TheStoneAge1997, pg.88
4
ibi
d
5
Richar
dBIrv
en,Kalahari
Hunter
s-Gat
herers,1976,
pg.36
asgr
oupsandf
ormedt
heki p6.
nshi
Itwasanintri
nsi
csearchwhenamancal ledinsearchoff
oodaf t
erhewashungr y.I
n
thesearchhewasf oundtobei ngroupandthatmov esintot
hepointnamedasf ami
l
yand
kinshi
p.Hislif
est
ylebecomest hecustom.Rat
herthanthequestiononpr esenceoffamil
y
l
awi ti
st hei
rcust
omsandl i
fest
y l
ebecomesthesli
ghtli
nelawint
opr act
ice
Dev
elopmentofFami
lyLawi
nHi
stor
icalPer
iod
Theki nshipget sper fectshapei nhistoricalday s.Thecultur eofagricult
ureisgrown
i
nI ndia.Manwassear chingf orf ood,butint hehi stori
calday shemadet hef oodtocome
i
ntohi shand, thereheusedt heani mals.Ther eisaneedf orhumanst oprotecttheanimal s,
henceev er
yonest artedlivingingr oups,somecust omsandr egulat i
onswer esett or
egulate
7
thegr oups,ther egul at
ionsl eadst otheroleofr ules.Thef amili
esatt hatagewer epr
acti
sed
8
ast hepat r
iarchalf amilyandt hesewer ef ol
lowedast hecust om .I ntheper i
odof3,500BC
everyhumanst ar
tedl i
v i
ngasaf ami l
yallov erIndia9.TheFeudal ism pol
icyofI ndusValley
Civi
lizati
onst rengthenedt hesy stem offami l
y ,Everyhumanst art
edhav i
ngt hei
rownl andas
10
well asownf ami l
y .
Butint heper i
odof1, 000BCt heTami lcivi
lisati
onswer etermedast obei nthebest
form.Acust om t hat ,thedut yofmal eistopr otectt hefamilyandtheirv il
lageandf emaleis
11
thel i
ghtoft heirf ami ly ,Ther eisnogr eaterpridet hanapl edgeofsel f-determinati
onthat
willnev erleav ehomeandcount rytodo12Thesecust omswer efol
lowedatt hatper i
od.Even
thoughi nthepat riarchalsy stem,thewomengott hef r
eedom t ochooset heirhusbandand
13
tof ormt hef ami l
y .Int hehi stori
calday sJointf ami l
yar ewidespreadev erywhere.Butin
14
verysomewher et herear enuclearf amil
yal sopr esentint heperiodof1, 000BC .The
15
husbandandwi fer elati
onshi pi ssaidt ohav eanunbr okenintegri
ty .Int hisperiodthe
16
l
iteratistatedt hatwhol ewor ldisthef amilyandev er
yhumani skinshi p .Thi sstatethe
i
mpor tanceofki nshi patt hosehistori
cday s.
InI
ndi anculture,ever
yonecel ebratedhim astheleaderwhohy pnoti
zeanduset he
bul
lsf oragricult
ure.Mancommi t
tedt hemselvesinsearchoff ood,butaftermanyt i
mehe
madet hefoodt osear chhim,thent heretheIndiangottheoppor t
unit
ytopr otectt
heI ndi
an
cul
ture.Thoseoppor tunit
iesbecomecust oms.Somer egul
ati
onswer emadeonf amilyand
consequencei nthePr opert
yandst atusofKar ta.Thi
sunwritt
enr egul
ationplaysav i
talrol
e
i
nincreasingt heproduct i
oninagricultur
alfamil
iesandupgradationofsociety.
Whent hefami l
iesarefi
x edonbasi
sofoccupati
oncreat
edthesystem ofcaste,t
his
syst
em was poi soned by some ev i
l-
int
ended per
son by way ofcaste dif
ference or
di
scri
mi nat
ion.Ont hoseday sj
ustbecauseofthepresenceoff
amili
esaloneprotectedthe
consequencesont hatdiff
erent
iati
ons.
Fami
lyLawi
nADper
iod
6
ClarkJDesmond, ThePr e-
historyofAf r
ica,Vol.72, 1970
7
Tamar aKHar ven, Fami l
yTi meandHi st
oricalTime, 1977
8
ReetaSonawat ,Uni versityofBr asi
liaPublicati
ons, 2001
9
Thir
u.Vi.Ka,IndianHi st ory,1920pg.240
10
Tho.Par amasiv an,Panbaat tuasaivugal,2001pg. 74
11
Puranaanoor u,Transl ationsbyJI .YU.Pope, 1851,Poem.314
12
Thi
rukkur al
,saintThi ruv al
luvar,Poem.1021
13
Kambar aamay anam, kambar ,16thcentury,Aarany aKaandam
14
Puranaanoor u,Transl ationsbyJI .YU.Pope, 1851,Poem.159
15
Kurunthogai,Translat edbyJay anthasriBalakrishnan,2009Edit
ion,
Poem.49
16
Puranaanoor u,Kani yanPoongundr anaar,sangam day s,Poem.192
 Inthemonar chyperi
odaf t
erthebirthofChri
stespeci
all
yinChoz hadynast
yinIndi
a
Thestr
uctureoffami l
i
esandki nshi
pv alueshavegivenmor eimport
ance,thekingswere
stat
edtohavetheprimarydutyofconsideri
ngeverypersonunderhi
sdy nast
yashiskinshi
p
17
andtoprot
ectthem andupgradethem.
Buti ntheMughalperi
odinIndi
a,thefemalehavenoinfl
uencei
nthefami
ly
,they
havetoobeyt hei
rmalekinshi
p.Themal ehasgott hefr
eedom tomarrymanyfemale
18
whereasf emalehasnosuchr i
ghtorfreedom .Duringt
heperiodof1250-
1325BC at
Pandyady nastyManyfemalefr
om thePandya’
sf ami
l
ywereinvol
vedint
hewarandrul
ing
19
aut
horit
ies.
Thereisnoev i
dencerecordsadmi ni
str
ationofMusl im personall
awunt il
1206ont he
20
Indi
anpeni nsula .Dur i
ngthereignofSl avedynasty(1206- 1290),Khalj
idynasty(1290-1321)
Thet uqhlaqdy nast y(1321-1413),TheLodidy nasty(1451-1526)andt hesurdy nasty(1539-
1555) ,thecourtofShar i
at,assist
edbyt heMuf ti
,dealtwithcasesi nvol
v i
ngpersonallawof
Musl i
ms.Dur ingShershah’ sregime,thepower soft hecour twer erestri
ctedandMusl im
21
Law ar emodi fiedt osuittherequir
ement soft hetime .Dur ingt heregimeofBaburand
Humay un,theear li
erl
awswer efoll
owedandul emas( r
eligi
ousschol ars)hasconsider abl
e
22
i
nf l
uenceonl egal deci
sions.TheAur angazebor deredthecompi lati
onofacodeofl aw
TheMusl i
m malehast herighttomar r
yt hreewomen,ev enthoughi tisagainstthe
Indi
ancultur
e,Aryansociet
yhasn’tblockedt heirbeli
efsandcust omswhi chmakesI ndi
aa
defi
nit
ionofsecularcountr
y.Theywer einasepar ategroup.Ther el
i
giousbel i
efsandJai n,
Buddhistbel
iefsi
nter
coursewithmanyunwr i
ttencust oms.Theclergydomi natedthefamily,
andthecharitabl
ecausewasmostst ressed.Int heADper i
odt heunwrit
tenf amil
ylawsar e
onthesideofDhar ma.I
tmaybet hepr i
mar ysour ceofFamilyLaw
Fami
lyLawdur
ingBr
it
ishPer
iod
TheAngl o-HinduLaw enact eddur i
ngt heBr itishcol onialer a,whi chappl i
edt othe
23
Hindus,Buddhi sts,JainsandSi khsofBr i
tishI ndia .Theear l
yper iod( 1772-1828)was
str
ucturedal ongt heli
nesofMusl im Lawpr act ice.Itincl udedt heext r
act edpor ti
onsofl aw
fr
om oneDhar masastrabyBri
ti
shappoi ntedschol ars,Ov erthet i
mebet ween1828- 1855,a
seri
esofBr i
ti
shpar l
i
amentar
yact swer epassedt or ev i
set heAngl o-HinduandAngl o-
MuslimsLawsuchasRi ghttoreligiousconv ersion,Ri ghttocr eatewi l
lf orinherit
anceand
widowr emar rage24.Dur
i i
ng1864- 1947t heBr i
t i
shcol onialcour tsinI ndi ar el
iedlessont he
Muslim Qadi sandHi nduPandit
sf ordet er
mi ni ngt her espect ivereligiousl awandmor eona
25
writ
tenlaw.
May neusedsmr it
itoex tracttheel ement sofAngl o-HinduLaw26 andwr otethe
cl
assicalHi ndul aw hastheoldestpedi greeofanyknownsy stem ofj uri
sprudence27.A

17
Maa.Raasamaani kkanaar ,Hi
stor
yofChol asinTami l
,2015pg.75
18
John.FRichar ds, TheMughal Emperor,Part1v olume5
19
Pakkiyam Sur i
yaNar ay anan,Tamil
naduv aralaaru,1998
20
RahimanAbdul KK,Hi storyontheevolut
ionofMusl im Per sonalLawinI
ndi
a,2017Journalon
Dharma
21
ibi
d
22
ibi
d
23
LudoRocher ,I
ndianr esponset oAngloHinduLaw, Jour nal ofAmeri
canori
ent
alsoci
ety
, 1972,
pg.419-424
24
RudolphSusanneHoeber ,Liv
ingwit
hdi f
ferencei nIndi
a, 2000s120- 38
25
ibi
d
26
May ne,ATr eatiseonHi nduLawandUsage, 1878, pg.14- 15
27
May ne,AtreatiseonHi nduLawandusage, 1878, PrefaceSect i
on
universalcrimi nalcodef orIndi
awasadopt edi n1864,ex pandedt oi ncludepr oceduraland
commer cialcodeby1882,whi chov err
uled pr e-
ex i
sting Angl o-Hindu and Angl o-Musl im
28
Laws .Howev ertheper sonal l
awf orAnglo-Muslimsr emai nedshar i
abased, whi letheAngl o
-HinduLaw wasenact edi ndependentofanyt extonmat terssuchasmar r
iage,di vorce,
i
nher i
tance29.I n1872,t heBr it
ishcrownenact edt heI ndianChr istianMar r
iageActwhi ch
cov er
ed mar riage,divorceandal i
monyl awsf orI ndianChr isti
ansofal ldenomi nations
exceptRomanCat holcs30.TheBr
i i
ti
shwer eundert heconv ictiont hatal ltheIndiant radi
tions
wer ebasedont ext
sandi gnoredthet r
aditi
onscust omar ysi gnificance.Fur thermor e,they
thoughtt hatdi ffer
entcomment ari
esandi nterpretati
onscoul dbesy stemat i
callysor t
edout
byschool sand r egi
on,t hisresultstot heobj ecti
ficati
on ofI ndi ar endered itt o mor e
31
colonisati
on .Undert heEastI ndiaCompanyMusl im Law wasenf orced exceptwhen
Musl i
msl eftt hedisputet obedet erminedaccor dingt oHi nduSast r as32.
Therei
sasuddeni nf
luenceofwest erncul
ture,andtheyshakethereligi
onatprima
faci
e,becauseofpov er
tymanyconv ert
edt heirrel
i
gion.Thetradi
ti
onalfamil
ysy stemswer e
changed.Thef ami l
ystructurearef i
xedbyt heRel
igiousheads.Forthei
rprotecti
onoftheir
peoples,ai mpli
edshi eldwascr eatedcal ledast heChr i
sti
anMar ri
ageAct .ManyI ndian
star
tedf ol
lowi
ngt hewest ernculturewhi cht ookasidemanyI ndi
antradi
ti
ons.Thechar i
tyin
rel
ati
onwi thli
feischangedi ntowi t
hr el
igion.
Fami
lyLawaf
terI
ndependence
TheHi ndul aw f ramedaf terf ormali ndependenceofI ndiafrom Br iti
shandext ends
unt ilpresent ,whi let hemoder nHi nduLaw i sher aldedf orit
sinherentrespectf orreligi
ous
doct r
ines.I ndia’sf irstpr i
memi ni sterJawahar lalNehr uandt henLaw mi ni
st erAmbedkar
wor kedt ouni fyt henewl yindependentI ndi
abypr oposingt hereformationandcodi fi
cati
on
ofHi nduper sonall aw.Thesocal ledHi nduCodeBi ll
,whi chNehruof f
eredt of i
xt heunclear
33
element sofAngl o-Hi ndul aw. TheHi nduMar riageAct1955,Hi nduSuccessi onAct1956,
Hi nduMi norit
yandGuar dianshi pAct1956,Hi nduAdopt i
onsandMai nt enanceAct1956
wer ei ntroducedandpur por tedtor esol vetheuncl earpartsofAngl o-Hi
nduLaw, t
hecasel aw
andi nterpretativet raditi
onofBr i
tishj udgesandI ndi anjudgesint heBrit
ishempl oyr emains
cruci altot heappl icat i
onofmoder nHi nduLaw.Sour cesoft hi
sHi nduLawar osef rom the
religioust extsofDhar masat raaswel lascust omsand comment ariesordi geststhat
transl atedandi nterestedt helaws34.Legi slat
ionscr eatedbyt heI ndi
angov ernmenti sthe
strongestsour ce ofl aw i n allI ndian Cour ts,i n case ofanyconf licti
ng sour ces the
l
egi slationshol dst hehi ghestj urisdi cton35.Moder
i nHi nduLawr el
iesont hei nterpr et
ationof
j
udgesandt heirabi l
itytodeci phermi tigati
ngf act orswithineachlegalsituat on36.TheHi
i ndu
mar ri
agei ssacr amentmor ethanaci v i
lcontract .In2010TheSupr emecour thel dthatthe
l
iv ei nr elationshipt obeconsi der edv ali
danddet er
mi nedast hepr equi sitiesofav ali
d
mar rage37
i

28
AKGi ri
isCosta, piert
o,Ther uleofl awhistory,t
heoryandcr i
ticism,pg.596-597
29
KunalParkar,ReligionandPer sonal LawinSecularIndiapg.184- 199
30
MallampaliChandr a,Chr i
stiansandPubl icli
feinColonialSouthI ndi
a1863- 1937,2004pg.
59-
64
31
Cohn,Colonial
ism andi t
sf orm ofKnowl edge,1996,Forewor dpg.x v
32
RahimanAbdul KK, Historyont heev olut
ionofMuslim Personal LawinIndia,2017Jour
nalon
Dharma
33
BannighanJohn, TheHi nduCodeBi ll,
FareasternSurvey,1952December3
34
Nagpal RameshC, Moder nHi nduLaw, All
ahabadManavLawHouse, 1983
35
ibi
d
36
Menski,Werner, Compar ati
veLawi nagl obalcontext,NewYor kCambr idgeUP, 2006
37
D.VelusamyV.D.Pet chiammaal ,CA2028- 2029of2010cddf b
 Intheyearof2018TheSupr emecour thel
dSecti
on377ofI PCwasunconstit
utional
anddecl ar
edt heunisexmarri
agei nt hecaseofNav j
etsinghv.Uni
onofI ndia38.The
consequenceoft hi
sdecisi
onresultsint heTatasteelasksthei
rLGBTQ+empl oy eesto
decl
arepartner
stoavailHRbenefi
ts39.
TheMusl i
m mar r i
ageisaci vi
lcontractbet weenamanandawomenDi ssol
uti
onof
marriagecanbedoneatt hei nstanceoft hehusband ( Tal
aq)and mutualdissol
uti
on
(Mubar at).On2017Supr emeCour thel
dinstantt ripl
et al
aqwasunconst
it
uti
onalinthecase
40
ofShay araBanuv .Uni onofI ndiaandor s. TheMusl imlawsar ei
mbuedwi thstr
ong
patr
iarchalsy stem event hepr ophetofHol yKur anst at
esthat“Thewif
eisherhusbands
41
pri
soner ,aprisonerbeingaki ntoasl ave” .Thecent ralgov
ernmenthasint
roducedabilli
n
2019def i
nesthatthetripleTalaqisancr i
minal off
ence.
Di
ff
erencei
nHi
ndu,
Musl
im andChr
ist
ianLaw
Thesy st
em ofMusl i
ml aw canbedef inedaspatr
iar
chalsy
stem,whereasitis
somehow equalit
ari
anunderHi nduandChr i
stianLaws.Thebigamyisstr
ict
lyprohi
bit
ed
undertheHinduandChrist
ianlaws,wherei
tisal l
owedi
nMusl i
mlawi.
e.,Amalecanmar r
y
thr
eefemalesevenduri
ngthelivi
ngofotherwives42.
Undert heHi nduSuccessi onActamendmenti n2005,t hedaught ersareent it
ledt o
43
equalrightsi nt heancest ralpropertyasli
ketheson. Themot herisconsideredast hecl ass
Iheirtoapr edeceasedson.Hencesheget sanequalshar easot herClassIhei rs,
asi steris
44
classIIheir Buti nt heMusl i
m LawAwi fegets1/8th oftheproperty,i
fshehasnochi ldren
sheget s1/ 4th oft hepr opert
y.Iftherearemorewi v
est hesharedi mini
shespr oporti
onat ely
.
45
Ifthewi f
ei snotaMusl i
m,shehasnor i
ghttothepr operty .IntheChr i
sti
anLaw,t hewi fe
willgetthe1/ 3rd propertyift
hedeceasedhusbandhaschi l
dren,i
ft her
ear enochi l
dren,but
hadot herrelat i
v es,shewoul dgethal fofthepr
operty.Onlyifthereisnor el
ativesshewi llget
46
theentirepr oper ty .
Accordi
ngtoAr ti
cle236oftheMul l
aHinduLawKar tacanbedefi
nedast hemanager
ofpropertybel
ongingtot hej
ointHinduf amil
yi sor di
nar
il
ymanagedbyt hefatherorsenior
mostmemberoft he famil
y.Gener all
yf emale member s cannotbecome kar t
a buti n
except
ionalcir
cumst ancescanbecomet heKar t
athatisint heabsenceofadul tmal e
47 48
member.I nthecaseofRami ahthev ar
,inre t hehon’
blecourthel
dthattheSaptapatiis
notaessential
ceremonyf oral
lval
idHi ndumar riage.
Theleaderwhogov er
nedTamilNaduforal most6,863days49 astheChi efMinist
er
Karunani
dhi
,manyquest ionsaroseabouthisf amil
y.Inamagazi necal l
ed‘ Out
look’the
answerhavebeendiscussedthat“DMKpatr
iar
chM.Kar unani
dhihast ocont entwithofhis
twocompani onsofoverf
ourdecadesandmor e,DayaluammalandRaj at
hiammalknownt o

38
D.No.14961/ 2018
39
Economi cTi mes, Dec9, 2019
40
WPNo.118/ 2016, SCI
41
ZibaMi rhossaub, Patriar
chalethi
csofMusl i
m Legal
tradi
tionhtt
ps:
//www.opendemocracy
.com
42
https:
//www. legalservi
cesindi
a.i
n
43
Sec.6,Hi nduSuccessi onact1956amendedon2005
44
Dr.ParasDi wan, FamilyLaw2017edi ti
onpg.244
45
ibi
d
46
ibi
d
47
Commi ssionerofIncomeTaxV.Set hGov i
ndRam
48
MHC, 19thSept ember ,1962
49
M.Kar unanidhi,I
ndi a’
s91y earsoldpol
it
ici
anwhoi ssti
llf
ighti
ngart
icl
e,BBC13thMay2016
thewivesashiswi v
es.Hei ssai
dt ospendt hemor ni
ngwi thoneandev eningwithanother
,
thequesti
onar osef rom t
hepointofviewoft heeyesofl aw,itisanof f
encei ntheeyesof
thelawtohav emor ethanonewi f
e’saidbyl awyerKami niJaswel.Butinfactthereisone
l
oopholeintheHi nduMar ri
ageActthatmakest wowi vespossible,
forthespecifi
cchargeof
bigamythefir
stwi fehast oapproachcourt.Butinstanceofwomenappr oachi
ngt hecour
t
forredr
essalarer are;i
nmostcases,t heyjustresi
gnt hemselvestothenew ar rangement
.
50
Thisispar
ti
cularl
yt r
uei ft
hehusbandisrichandpower ful”
TheHinduUndi vi
dedFamilyi
sgov ernedbytheHinduSuccessi
onActandaccording
tothelaw.Hi nduswhomayhav econvert
edt oanyotherrel
i
gioncanst i
llcl
aim onthei
r
51
ancest
ralproperty .Butt heconver
sionofonespousei ntoanotherr
eli
gionstatedasthe
52
val
idgroundforanot herspousetofi
ledi
vorce.
TheHi
nduAdopti
onandMaintenanceAct1956prohi
bit
sthethought
stogoaway
f
rom t
hefami
l
y,bybr
oki
ngthef
ami
lyrelati
onshi
pwhichi
sasoulofsoci
ety.
Thef amil
yalway sact sast hesouloft hissociet
y.Evenbef oret heenactmentof
famil
ylawsi nIndi
athemor alrulesforf ami
lyhasbeenwel ldefinedintheTami lli
ter
ature
cal
ledAgilat
hir
attudefinesthat“Dharmai st
opr otectt
heneedy ”
, “Hear
ingeachot heri
st he
53
keyforabestf amil
y” .Bi
bledenot i
ngf orhusbandst olovethei
rwi vesjustasChr i
stloved
54
thechurchandgav ehi mselfforher .TheQur anstatesthat“ Menar et hei
nchar geof
55
women, becausetheyspendt heirproper tyonprotecti
ngwomen” .
I
ndi
ahast helowestdi
vorcer at
eintheworldthati
slesserthan1%,outof1,
000
marr
iages13result
sindiv ce56 Buti
or nTamilNadutheDivor
cerateishighi
nIndi
awith
57
8.
8%
Wester
ncount ry’
si mpacts,theconsumpt ioncul tureoverfl
ownf rom global
izati
on,
theurgi
ngideaofearningmor eincomei nshor ttime, t
hei deaofimmor alandi l
l
egalincome
because ofcompet it
ion,the indivi
dualsi dea ofsear ching i
ntereston economi c and
consumptionr
atherthanonf amily,andthefami lywhoaccept sall
these,keepinginmindthe
noti
onofeconomi cgrowthi salonet hegrowt hofl i
fe,thedesireofmenandwomeni nthe
famil
ytoearnmor ebyobser vi
ngot herswhoear nbyi l
legalmeans, t
hefami l
ymember swho
causedthi
sandsepar atethemselvesf r
om thef amilymember sinthesenseofsoul .
Theurgedesir
eofconsumpt i
onmakeski nshi
pbitt
er.I
tisthebasicreasondi
vorcei
n
I
ndia.Thepresentdayfamili
eskeepasidetheli
ter
atur
eandl i
festyl
ewhichteachfamil
yand
f
ami l
yvaluesarethevaluesoftheli
fe.Di
vorcelawsaremor eselecti
vebecausemanywho
r
efusetoaccepttheful
nessoflawandaccept stheescapi
ngsur v
ival
.
Thepersonwhoseeksr esti
tut
ionofconjugalri
ght
sl acksinnumber.Thecounsel
ling
alwaysendsinfail
ureheldbeforemat r
imonialdi
sputestr
ial,thereasonbehi
ndthi
si sthat
theadvocat
eswhohaswor kingappearancer at
herthanpsy chologyorcr
iminol
ogystudies
alongwit
hthei
rlawstudiesarealwaysappointedasthemedi ator
s.
Bef
orer
eachi
ng t
he cour
t,t
he counsel
l
ors who ar
ein Pol
i
ce st
ati
on f
ami
l
y
50
TheOut lookMagazi nedatedon8thJune2009
51
BalchandJairamdasLal wantv .NazneenKhali
dQuer
shi
APONo.1175/
2014
52
Sect i
on13(ii
),HinduMar r
iageAct,1955
53
Agilatht
hir
att
uAmmaanai , Tamill
it
erature
54
TheHol yBible,Ephesi
ans5: 25
55
TheHol yQuran, An-Ni
sa,34
56
Indi
aTodayAr ti
cledatedon20Nov ember2018
57
2010CensesofI ndia,
Tami lNaduDi vorceRat
e
counselli
ng centr
es lacks in educati
onaland pr acti
calqualif
icat
ion.Many counselli
ng
centresaddsanot herknotwi t
ht heirexi
sti
ngpr oblem whichtheybr oughttot
hem.Some
ti
mest hecounsell
orsar ether easonbehindit.Thi salsoactsasy etanotherreasonfor
divorce,t
hent hefamilylawsbr ingsnoot hermeansot herthandivorce.Inever
ydi v
orce
thereisancreati
onofdel i
nquent,whichwil
ldist
urbt helawandor der
.
Indiaissurr
oundedbyt hr
eesidedseas,seasar ef ill
edwithfishes,f i
shesar efi
l
led
58
wit
hpr oteins,buti
nIndi
a80%per sonssuf ferfrom proteindefici
ency .Maj ori
tyofdri
vers
andmanuall abour
ssuffer
sf r
om stomachul cer,nut
rit
iondef i
ciency,i nef
fi
ciencyofbody
whichr esultsinwordsgetti
ngst r
onger.Weaknesscr eat esineffi
ciencyandf urt
herinto
angryandt hesetur
nedintoasharderwor dsint hefamil
y .Noonehast hetimet oteachthe
compromi seandcomf or
taboutthesereasons.
Peoplesreachesthecourtsuddenlyaft
erthathar
dwords,l
awdoi ngit
sjobandthere
creat
esabr okenkinshi
p.Themi ll
ennialcorpi
sendi ngi
naone-yearcourtcase,wit
hthese
understandi
ngsthefami l
ylawandj udi
ciar
yshouldfocusonthi
ssot hatrel
ati
onshipsdon’
t
gettornapart
.Brokenkinshipi
naf amilymeanthatthenai
li
nthesociet
ygetsdril
led.
Bol
t-
Hol
eZone
Indianpeoplesalwayscreatesbolt-
holezonear oundthem toprotectandsurvi
ve.“I
am thecolleagueofthi
sper son,
Iam r el
ati
veofthisgreatperson”werealsof al
l
sunderthi
s
zone.Italsoincludescasteandr eli
gion.Famil
yist hebiggestbolt
-hol
ezone\ .Mahatma
Gandhi,Ramanuj ar
,Narayanagur
u,Vaikudasaamigal,Ragavendrarwereexcludethemsel
ves
for
mt hisz one.Thebasicobjecti
veofev eryfamil
ymember sistocreatethatzonetotheir
fut
uregener ati
on.Thedimensionsoff amilyl
awshoul dconsiderthi
screation,t
hiscr
eati
on
shouldbeitsmai ngoal
.
Concl
usi
on&Suggest
ion
“
YatandUr ear eal lgi ggl es”doesn’ tmeandi stort i
ngt hef ami l
y,t hatmeanst he
ment al
it
yofconsi der i
ngt heent irewor ldasasi nglef ami l
y .Atonementi snecessar yi f
i
ndi vidualhuman r i
ghts di srupt st he f ami lyr elationships.Di st
or ti
ng t he fami l
yi s an
expr essionoff earandapsy chol ogi caldi sease.Fami lyi st heactofchar ityandmaki ng
somet hi
ngbet tert hani t
self.Uni sexmar r
iagewi l
lbeanobst ructf orit.Thedi vorceshoul dbe
stoppedi nthenameofeconomi ci ndependency .Thegoalofev eryt reei stogi vetheseed
whi chcanmakeast rongandheal thypl antt hani t.Itsal mostsamei ncaseofev eryanimal s
andl i
vi
ng-beings, andi tisthenat ur eofNat ure.It’
sbet t
erf orhumanswhoar etryingtor each
bey ondt hesixthsense, whent heyar et ryi
ngt ocr eat ethebet tergener at
ionbycl assi
cf ami ly
syst em.Wear eaboutt ohav et hisal lov erI ndia.Thel awsi nur gentar ebei ngenact edf or
escapi ngandsur v ival
,andi nhaz ardousconsumpt i
oncul ture.Thef ami lylawmustobl iged
i
npr otecti
ngt heumbi li
calcor doft hef ami lyr el
ationshi p.Indi anlawswi llupgr adethef ami ly
wheni tcompr i
seoft radit
ion,l i
fest y l
eandcul t
ure.“ Dhar mai st opr otecttheneedy ”shoul d
bet hecanonofl aw.“ Hearandobeyeachot heri naf ami l
y”shoul dbei tsstructure.The
divor ceandpr oper tycaseswi llnev erupgr adet hef ami lyrel ationship.Thel awsandj udiciar y
shoul dwat chi nkeenaboutwhet hert hosedomest i
cv i
olencear ehappeni ngi nper sonof
strengt hori neffi
ci encyofbody .Tot hebr okenki nshi p,t heneedi snott hemaj esticand
bulkyl aw booksbutasi ngle‘ Aaat ht hi
choodi ’
.Maket hemor alit
iesast hel aw.Capi t al
Puni shmenti sbet terthanDi vorce.

58
TheI
ndi
anMar
ketResear
chBur
eau’
s2017Repor
t