Dubai: The government of India is planning to introduce a new bill to stop NRI (Non-Resident Indian) husbands from abandoning their wives. The bill will be tabled coming winter session of the parliament according to India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Swaraj, in Hyderabad on Wednesday for Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the December 7 Telangana assembly elections, told reporters: “We have already launched an institutional mechanism, where you must have seen that 25 passports of such NRI husbands have been revoked. We are also bringing a Bill in this session where some more measures are being taken against those husbands.”
According to Indian daily, Hindustan Times: “On November 13, the Supreme Court also sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking mandatory arrest of NRIs deserting their wives and harassing them for dowry.
"A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph issued notices to the Centre on the plea seeking that the deserted women be accorded legal, financial help and their estranged NRI husbands be arrested after the filing of FIRs.”
The possible arrest of NRI men for abandonment in India could also see cases being pursued outside India by the country's embassies or consulates.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported: “A group of women who had allegedly been deserted by their NRI husbands and subjected to dowry harassment moved the apex court seeking reliefs including the mandatory arrest of their estranged spouses and consular help in fighting cases in the foreign land.”
Like many others, Indian Twitter user @Kamlesh50208683 posted: Madam, you should also do something for the wives whose non NRI husbands have abandoned them.”
Twitter account @MenAreImportant questioned: “Who will decide if NRI abandoned his wife or not? Why wives who abandon and harass husbands, implicating false cases are not covered in law?”
And @SoomitaKar posted the bill could be misused against men: “@SushmaSwaraj what about gold digging wives who marry and desert NRI husbands for quick alimony. Be careful you don’t blur the lines... #ScamAlert #498A #AbuseOfPower”
