Several global studies may hint at excess use of social media pushing married couples towards separation, but this Gujarat High Court judge affirms that modern day marriages fixed on social platforms as Facebook are “bound to fail”.
“This is one of those modern-day marriages fixed on Facebook, therefore, bound to fail,” Justice J B Pardiwala noted while dealing with a petition on domestic violence and demand for dowry. Instead, he has now asked the couple to mutually divorce and begin their life anew.
Justice Pardiwala was hearing a petition filed by Anitaben Shah, whose son Jaideep, a native of Navsari, married Fansi Shah after they first met on Facebook in 2011. Both in early 20s, tied the knot in February 2015, with consent of both sets of parents.
However, their marital relationship turned sour within two months of marriage and Fansi left her husband’s house. In an FIR filed in Rajkot, Fansi accused her husband Jaideep, his brother Piyush and in-laws Vikeshbhai and Anitaben of domestic violence and harassment for dowry. She filed criminal complaints under Sections 498A, 323, 504 read with Section 114 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Sections 3 and 5 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Jaideep and his family members in 2016 approached the High Court to get the charges quashed.
‘End marriage’
“I should make note of one fact that the parties did try to settle the matter. However, the settlement could not be arrived at,” the judge observed while quashing the FIR filed by Fansi. The court also observed that primarily Fansi had problems with her husband and yet her in-laws were named as accused in her FIR. The court accordingly ordered an investigation against Jaideep.
He, however, urged both the parties to explore the possibility of ending the marriage “with consent”. “Both the partners are young. Once the marriage is dissolved, they can think about their future avenues in life,” the court noted.
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