Divorce rights unite husbands

Shimla, Aug. 16 (PTI): A group of “harassed” husbands from across the country today vowed to fight for their rights in conjugal disputes, alleging that the law favoured women in cases of divorce and custody of children.

About 150 men, including the former spouse of Anil Kumble’s wife Chetana, attended the two-day meet that began here yesterday.

The event, where wives were strictly prohibited, was organised by Bangalore-based NGOs Save Indian Family and Children Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (Crisp).

Strategies to take forward the movement to protect men’s rights were discussed, Crisp president and Chetana’s ex-husband Kumar V. Jahgirdar said.

Jahgirdar, a stockbroker, is fighting for the custody of his 14-year-old daughter in a Bangalore court.

The participants claimed that the legal provisions for marriage and family-related matters favoured women.

Women were misusing the dowry act and got preference in winning custody of children in cases of divorce, Jahgirdar alleged along with other participants like Umesh Talwar, Arvind Aggarwal (both from Lucknow) and S.K. Goel (from Jaipur).

“The provisions under the dowry act favours the woman and gives them a stick to beat their husbands,” Jahgirdar said.