Comments by readers on MOIA's website (comments)Sindhwani 9/12/2005 Has been preparing the writeup on my Opinion on the subject u will get soon Sindhwani sp Tripathi 9/12/2005 The subject matter really needs attention. ZOHAIR LOKHANDWALA 9/26/2005 Dear sir, I need and suggestion that i am in love with pakistani girl her age is 23, and my is 28 yrs. she is well educated from cairo azhar university. i am working in saudi arabia and i would like to marry. what is the rule and procedure to get permission from indian govt. thanks Mihir 10/12/2005 Government is not suppose to take any decision without looking at a particular matter from both the sides. Various reports on such issues have been prepared with personal prejudice and the genuineness of such reports can't be trusted. Therefore, a detail analysis of the situation must be understaken before believing biased reports by NCW or any other orgnisation. Only after thorough understanding of the issue, decision should be taken. Otherwise, such biased and faulty decision will back-fire. Praveen walia 10/12/2005 Dear Sir, There are many cases where a newly married wife has ruined the career and life of NRI husbands and put him and his family to extreme distress. The suggesstions by NCW to make laws tougher for grooms will only give more power to blackmailers using dowry laws as a weapon . There are cases where the couple never resided in India but the girl comes to India to file 498a since such draconian laws dont exist in other countries. why make laws to control NRI grooms? The girls dont have to marry an NRI if they dont feel safe. they can marry in India. The suggestion to strip them of overseas citizenship is totally outragious.NCW is hallucinating . GOPE LALWANI 10/13/2005 False complaints under section 498A of Indian penal code have become a racket in India with active support and participation of law enforcing machinery to extract large sums of money from NRI's and their old parents living in India GOPE LALWANI 10/13/2005 There are thousands of innocent NRI's in USA alone who are suffering from blackmail, extortion, humiliation and indiginities at the hands of unscrupulous girls with the conivance of corrupt authorities. Entire families including old parents are arrested without bail as hostages and jailed for the crime they never committed. NRI's themselves can not visit India for fear of arrest and police brutalities. The problem is so serious that U.S. state department has issued advisory to U.S. citizens of Indian origin warning as under:- "A number of U.S. citizen men who have come to India to marry Indian nationals have been arrested and charged with crimes related to dowry extraction." The courts sometimes order the U.S. citizens to pay large sums of money in exchange for the dismissal of charges Gope Lalwani 10/13/2005 In light of above
two postings comments on U.S. government advisory and willingness
to initiate legal action against the fraudulent spouces and
their collabrators responsible for misuse and rape of Indian
judicial system; sall be appreciated. Gope Lalwani 10/13/2005
The National commision for women has prepared a report and suggested
Legal action to be taken against the fraudulent spouse. They
have also suggested to withdraw dual citizenship or PIO card
of fraudulent spouse. Similarly government must take action
against it's own criminal and fraudulent spouse citizens and
cancell/withdraw their passports in light of their criminal
behavior and misusing of the law and raping the Indian Judicial
system. Mihir D. Desai 10/29/2005 Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs New Delhi Ref : Letter to Chief Secretaries from Secretary MOIA 25-10-2005 No. OI-18013-02-2005-MS.I Subject: Marriage to Overseas Indians We would like to thank you for uploading such an important information regarding the said subject on the website, which clearly shows your commitment towards transparency. However, we unwillingly resent over the recommendations of few NGOs being unskillfully considered to be the permanent solution for the specified problem. Before coming to any premature decisions that will boomerang the very intent, it would have been more methodical to survey comprehensively and understand the status quo thoroughly. Media and NGOs being verily receptive to women issues does not have a reason to believe that NRIs are not exposed to such marital cruelty after marriage. It is disheartening to observe from the recommendations that NGOs aren’t looking at the problem proactively. The situation shall only turn more uncontrollable if protection of women goes to an extent of disrupting the basic rights of men. If well-balanced and articulate guidelines are to be composed then both the concerned parties in the marriage must have equal protection rights from any kind of marital cruelty. Such half-baked solutions will only develop more resentment and increase marital disparities that have already been started lately. We shall be more than grateful to provide you with more information on such marital cruelty upon men to compose a well-balanced marriage guideline. We also anticipate your decision on this subject to be more protection-oriented for both the genders. We appreciate your endeavor in regulating a peaceful and happy marriage for NRIs. Your reply on the subject shall be highly regarded. Thanking you. With Warm Regards Mihir D. Desai Save Indian Family Foundation. WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY DIWALI Bbarati 10/29/2005 If NCW recommend Indian Government does not respect the judgment of the foreign countries with respect to divorce as recommended why should Foreign Giovernment respect the judgment by our courts . Clearly the NY judgment in NT Ramarao now shows that if you do not respect others judgment other countries court will not accept the judgmetn. USA , Canada already has travel warning regarding the misuse of Dowry and harassment laws and are well aware that innocent people are jailed in India without investigation under this law. What has MOIA done to ensure that innocent NRIs are not harassed under these laws and what help has MOIA given to those innocent NRIs ? bharati 10/29/2005 Dare you include the Counter View from Save indian family regarding the dowry immigration fraud ? or are you afraid of that womens organisations will break the tables like they did in one high court Jinesh Zaveri 10/29/2005 Such laws will close all the doors for the indian women being married to an NRI. They would not be preffered at all by the NRI's and even those would dream to be one. Just because of some mis-represented disputable cases one should not create new one sided laws that provides an encashing loop hole to the dishonest and cunning Daughters-in-law who get full shelter under law and the innocent husband is presumed guilty. We need to learn from the large scale misuse of section 498A and avoid new hurdles that encourages malpractices behind curtains. The law cannot be fooled once again, and again and again. It needs to be drafted with keeping in mind both sides of the coin. Other wise in near future a civil war would be likely, not between two communities, but definately between genders. Kind Regards, Jinesh Zaveri. Mangal P 10/29/2005 You cannot see all the views posted. The page only shows 10 posts. The next page does not come up when you click on the page 2. - Mangal Chetan 10/30/2005 My father-in-law checked everything about me. What he never told me was that his daughter was having mental disease and was full of greed for money. All was well till I had job in USA in 2001. After that, whole hell broke lose on all of us including my son. Chetan 10/30/2005 In country like India, where Girl is coerced a lot to be timid and meek and not explore or express herself, Brides are far more likely to be deceptive about their reality than grooms. If Govt of India cares about both brides and groom and wants to be involved, make it compulsory for mental checkup. sb repr 10/30/2005 The real problem with good NRI persons is of getting implicated in fasle cases by working wife of some of his relative in false dowry case or now the new law to occupy the house of boys parents or relatives ,wrongly called domestic voilence bill to fool the persons, instead of house grabbing bill . Instead of attacking this problem, the feminist, fimeNazi, controlled organizations that have the agenda to listen to only one side of the story like NCW and department of Women and child development are trying to show one sided distorted picture to brainwash the MOIA. A department that makes suggestions for the laws should hear both type of complaints, since NCW listens to just complaints of women mostly wifes, and do not entertain the complaints of husbands to help him, NCW advise should not be listened, as a common sence... Hope MOIA is open to listen to truth and help NRI's for torture by false female cases. MOIA should immediately make laws so that no NRI family will be distroyed by false one sided laws of Indian marriage. NRI family should be given right to keep the passport he should not be forced to surrender it and then fight hopelessly one sided laws in trying to get it back, and keep working on the jobs abroad. With more then 50,000 divorce cases every year and exponentially increasing, almost all launch false dowry law weapon. Already criminal wifes and their families are destroying the lifes of innocent husbands and his family. It is time to hunt down the feminazi's from controling the english press. Lets not let NCW make one sided laws that are delibrately made so that these can be misused by women by false cases. Lets first save laks of innocent husbands and families by false complaints due to one sided feminist laws.' MOIA should immediately start a campain to make a law that makes it safe for a NRI to come to India, without being tortured by false cases by some crueal female and her family. All NRI's and even Indians should be warned about the unequal one sided laws, and how the fenenazi control of press to show distorted one sided story, is breaking marriages in India. How parents of boys have to suffer as now they are likely to lose the hard earned house in the old age , curtesy new domestic voilence bill . Fenimists instigating girls to make elders live lonely life, alone in old age. They are being brainwasked subtely by likes of NCW to promote that single parenting is better for the child, so take money from husband, do not give him divorce to torture him to have fun, and lots of blackmail money. Please help innocent NRI's safely visit India, so save them from one sided barbaric laws related to women. It is a pain to see thousands of ethical, Engineers and Docters, who could have brought 1000's of jobs to India loose the pasion to live life, as they are seperated husbands, and tortured by working wifes by feminist laws. Let MOIA keep open mind and make laws that save NRI,s sfrom false cases made due to feminist LAWs made for false cases by likes of NCW. Gitesh 10/30/2005 The new draft being proposed by MOIA is one sided. There are numerous cases where the NRI husband has been falsely accused by the women after she leaves him by herself after a period of 2 weeks after the wedding. he files for divorce after asking her to reoncile over and over. She in turn after 4 years after the wedding files for 498A based on false allegations which have been changing every time there is a meeting. Infact the conviction rate is less than 10 percent which shows how the 498A is being misused by the women. I am not saying there are cases where the women are not being harassed but the misused is much more than the actual true cases. sb repr 10/31/2005 Things work best if no special laws are made there is a saying if you want to kill some industry make a national level department to help that industry. The department will make laws etc, such that industry is killed. It looks the case with this proposal. The fact is that mostly NRI grooms are cheated, wrong information about marital status, divore, medical ilness, girl nature about faminazi views is provided to get married. Instead of helping these innocent NRI husbands NCW is talking about more one sided laws for legal torture by false allegations. Lets give them easy divorce to get on with the normal life Rahul 10/31/2005 Regarding Information Booklet on Marriages to Overseas Indians - It's a Biased Approach: You need to add a second part in the same information booklet which should contain guidelines, precautions, suggestions and remidies for NRI men who fall victim of fraud marriages with Indian women and become victim of misuse of false 498A, 406 cases in India. The whole family of victim is kept on ransom, the girl only wanted to get a foreign visa and property of the husband.Many highly qualified professionals from IITs,IIMs are facing such problems today. Neel Grundfo 10/31/2005 Please stop this madness. Women are not always the victims. There are many marriages ruined by women, illogical classification of men and husband in 498a has already ruined many families,Domestic Violence Law is adding to the plight of men. I am afraid of marrying in India again or even if I do I am afraid of marrying a woman who is well educated and knows her rights, to send the husband and his family in jail. swarup 11/1/2005 Why a girl want to marry a NRI guy ??In india they dont find the husband ?? The answer is this is nothing but dishonest way to earn the money by misusing the LAW . NRI do not need money , the girls parents make the trap for NRI peole , why we dont accept the out side court order ?? This is nothing but promotion of legal terrorism in the name of women well fare . First get your husband as per your capalibility , then only problem will solve otherwise the innocent will suffer and the actual criminal will get away the way in case of 498A happening , where pregent sister , age old parents had been jailed without any investigation . Marriage is a civil contract and the same to be deal with civil law , it is your responsibility when you marry a NRI guy , do not consider that all the NRI are rapist and lacks of child had been kidnaped by indian dishonest women and earning money by misusing the law . SAURABH RAI 11/10/2005 can the ministry help in background check of prospective bridegroom Gope Lalwani11/10/2005 Opinions posted by readers from 11 to 24 have been blocked. Release of opinions in forum shall be highly appreciated This will also meet the requiement of right to information act. Thanks Mihir 11/13/2005 Yes, there are few incidents where Indian bride are sent back home for lack of compatibility and adaptability and to curb the emotional injury, various legal protections are provided to women. However, it gives no reason to believe that NRIs aren't exposed to domestic violence. How would you seek to convince the NRIs that you have proposed a legal structure in marriage that will also take care of them ? Looking at the biased recommendations of NCW, it doesn't stop NRIs to blame it on the Government policies for their agony and torture aftering marrying an heavily armoured Indian bride. You can't deny the fact that more than a responsible Secretary of MOIA, you are also a man with a heart. You must realise that men too have the right to be protected by law. NCW has their own malicious agendas which Indian people are thoroughly aware of and following their biased recommendations would only jeopardize your credibility in the country and rest of the World. rajesh Bhagat 11/15/2005 Dear Madam, in particular the women from National Council for Women, are any of you really married. These days it does not pay to be married. Should we not have a PRE-Neptual agreement in INDIA, and joint 50-50 residential and parental rights of children. Should the law be also changed so that Husbands and Wife both declare openly in court at time of marriage registration the amount of money and etc.. that each party are bringing into the marriage. There should be a much more stringent punishment for false allegations. Above all, in my experience and from studies of marraiges in india are not worth. Indian are no longer worth the trouble, specially metro-woman. Long live Spinster's India.... Dee 11/17/2005 Its very nice and refreshing to see that India and our government is "maturing" to a point where we can talk about such issues in a civil way. I am really happy that it is one step in the right direction. We can debate endlessly on these topics but we need to go back to the basics of rules that we have. "No person is guilty untill proven otherwise". This IS the basis of our legal system and which I think is right by all means.I dont have any problems with the bride side questioning the groom and his family to make sure that the information that they are getting is accurate. They are just acting in the best interest of their daughter. But I do have serious objections to some of the proposals written in the draft and I will try to comment on each of them. 1. Getting the authorities at work place involved: I am not sure what is the intent of this measure. Is it to reach some solution to the problem or just to cause mental torutre to the person because I do not see the employer helping with personal problems of any employee. I am not sure how would getting the employer involved SOLVE the problem besides getting the person harrassed, humiliated and tortured. He might end up lossing his job which down the line might become another reason for contention when he has to pay alimony and child support. Well if the employer would not have been involved, the person would still have the job and would still be able to pay all the money. Now since he does not have the job, does not earn or does not earn enough...another sturggle would start. So i see this as creating furthur problems rather than trying to solve anything in a civil way. 2. attaching property in India: again what is the intent...is it to deprive the person of everything that he has or to come to an agreement that something did not go right and needs to be fixed in a proper and civil way. I sense a lot of hostility against NRIs in this. The view that THEY are the bad ones. Well, nothing applies as a rule to everyone. Its written in our laws that not a single inncocent should be punished even if we have to let go of a couple of non-innocent people.Investigation and information is necessary before taking any such actions. And we are talking about making this a rule...a blanket rule that applies to ALL NRIs? 3.Overseas Citizenship has been given to the husband, the same to be withdrawn : Again, does the person who wrote this know about how does a person become the citizen of a different country. What are the rules and background checks requried. Also, the country that is accepting the person as a citizen must be doing it on some merit. If we pass this rule, then lets pass another rule about birds and animals too, that they should not move from one part of the world to another. I sense a lot of malice in all of the above. I am not doubting that there are some cases where the above might make sense, but applying these to ALL NRIs maybe too much. I see that we have learned a lot from the west in all these years, the lifestyle, the food, the dressing sense, the principles...maybe it is time for us to look at some other aspects of their society too. India has reached a point where it has to acknowledge that a sweet thing like marriage MIGHT go sour. Rather than passing blanket rules and claiming all men as opressors, lets take a look around the world as to how they resolve their issues. I dont think laws like 498A exist in any country of the world. The intent of the rule might be good but the reality is not. United states or United Kingdom does not have any rules like 498A. If we want to learn things, lets learn a couple of more things from them like how to deal with sour marriages. Passing rules like the ones mentioned below are no way the real solution to the problem. J Nair 11/18/2005 Dear Sir I appreciate your intentions to bring wrong doing husbands to justice but please notice the below points 1 Divorce is not a crime when a NRI tries to go for a normal divorce the girls side would try every trick and lie to stop this as they are losing a big source of income and a emmigration chance The law doesn't address this problem 2 We need to ask for concrete proof of any allegations on NRIs before trying to take action 3. More indian women cheat NRI gooms than vice versa because the NRI has a lot to lose job visa and wouldnt take risks 4 Blackmailing NRI grooms for money is a common phenomenon in India as in most cases the groom earns much more than what the girls family has in Indian standards It does not make much sense for a NRI to ask money from a poorer family 5 Most of us in the US ae highly qualified skilled and hard working people, who do not wish to be treated in the same way as a common criminal because of false allegations I hope you will consider these points to prevent misuse of this law Thanks Nageswara Rao Gullapalli 11/18/2005 Registration of Marraiges is compulsory. Counciling is necessary at Mandal Level in all parts of India for bringing the brodes and grooms together when the marriage is failed. Mihir 11/24/2005 Is preparing a unbiased NRI marriage guidelines too difficult ? Looking at the letter and the booklet on NRI marriage, the intentions of NCW and other organisation are far away from having a fair and unbiased policy. If there are many NRI grooms who have concealed vital information to the bride leading to divorce or abandonment, then there are as many incidents where the Indian bride has concealed her intentions to marry an NRI only to extract as much money as possible. How would you protect the basic human rights of those NRI if you are planning to formulate such biased policy ? Seeing the booklet, women's organisation's ulterior motives got transparent and we understood that they are looking for an easy victim who can dole out money for their Indian bride under the blanker of so-called women's 'rights'. How you didn't noticed it ? Sukanya Ray 11/27/2005 My husband is staying in USA, permanent resident and a green card holder. since Feb 2002 we have no connection, if talk over phone that is very torturing in nature.want me to file divorce. he hide his age, paying alimony to ex-wife, date of divorce, property job etc etc. mf for just 2 years.what should I do?I am alone, get married thru internet ad, staying kolkata/india. santha 12/1/2005 Infact, we are in danger. With the recent breaking news about daughter complaining father raping her, supreme court ruling life sentence, daughter later coming back with affidavit stating in fear of her mother she had to say that. So, we know many folds women live in Indian society. In marriage, Women can file a complaint under 498a, just a single piece of complaint make the whole family into jail. This is hilarious LAW. Who formed it. I am an NRI. My If the person creating this law has knowledge, let him talk to me. What happen to the intellectuals of the country. Other nationalities laugh at us about our behaviour, reason ...we are mitigating our social engineering culture. I JUST AGREE, TO PROTECT EACH AND EVERY INDIAN WOMEN WHEN THEY ARE HIT OR PHYSICALLY TORTURE TO PUT INTO 498A AND NOT A WIDEN MEANING AS 'MENTAL CRUELTY'. MISCHIEF IN INDIAN SOCIETY. WE ALREADY HAVE LAWS FOR MENTAL CRUELTY, WHY THIS 498A? TO EAT MONEY OF SINCERE EARNED PPL. Pls. STOP THIS NON-SENSE IN INDIAN SOCIETY. regds santha Disclaimer: Above is my opinion only Rajendra Aggarwala, President GIIA 12/3/2005 The section on Failed and Fraudulent marriage fails to consider the crimes being done by Indian girls against the NRI husbands. NCWs activities also appear to be highly partisan and vindictive against Indian husbands, being explicitly antimen, as if wives do not commit any wrongs in a marriage. The ministry also appears to be totally ignorant and/or insensitive to the anti-Hinduism propaganda being indulged in US by enemies of Hinduism. Schools in US convey to Hindu NRI children these derogatory references to Hinduism based on this derogatory propaganda, while all other religions get the treatment as interpreted by their own religious leaders, and as reflected in their own scriptures, and not the interpreted by the enemies of the religion. Such derogatory references put the Hindu children in USA to utter shame. The MOIA's site's illadvised refrences to NRI husbands will only add to the grist mill of this evil propaganda against Hinduism as a religion. Large number of girls who marry NRIs are highly educated, either in India or get so qualified after reaching abroad. Why do these girls marry NRIs if they think that NRIs are some criminals as this site conveys. These educated girls are fully capable of earning their own living in USA, like all other educated American girls, if they divorce their husbands or are divorced by them. Why does the Indian government give a special protection to these highly qualified Indian girls, when it gives no protection to Indian husbands for crimes against them by their Indian wives and the wives' parents either in India or abroad. It is also a shame that laws are being passed in India, which assume a person guilty before he can prove himself innocent. Is this a Just principle of law in any part of the civilised world? It is said that what is not just is not a LAW. Such barbaric laws seem to have robbed the human rights and dignity not only of NRI husbands but also their old and infirm fathers and mothers, their pregnant sisters and even children of the family, till they give reverse dowry of Blackmail to the girl and her parents. If demand of dowry is a crime by the boy, should'nt the demand for any money after divorce by the wife or her parents not be equally hineous crimes. If the objective of MOIA is to treat NRIs that shabbily robbing them of all their rights and dignity, why should the NRIs retain any relationship with such an India? Very few NRIs will attend the Annual meetings for Overseas Indians, if such evil propaganda and biased attitude against NRIs/husbands continues to be reflected by the ministry and the Indian government. It is the NRI husbands that have provided all the support for their nation India, and brought fame to the country. It has been reported widely that a law 498A has enabled Indian girls without scruples and the girls' parents to blackmail and extort lakhs of rupees from NRIs, as highly qualified as IIT graduates, under threat of a complaint under the anti-Dowry Law 498A. Is the government also warning all Indian husbands against these possible crimes against them before marrying Indian girls. It is understood that a large number of girls and their parents deliberately seek IIT, IIM and others highly qualified grooms, and extort from them lakhs under threat of using anti-dowry law against them and their parents in India. Your effort to run after these husbands even in US under the pretexts as publicised on this site, will only further encourage these girls and their parents to fleece them. These laws and measures being undertaken by MOIA ministry, thus, is contributing to more crimes, rather than controlling them. The ministry should not ignore these facts under political pressure from interest groups lest the Indian family is permanently broken. The MOIA will be helping only the enemies of India by such an unwise policy. ali 12/6/2005 dear sir,when we say about equal right for men and women then why women will get the preference.i think men and women should treat equally in modern world.if they think unsafe to marry with nri then should not do so.why anyone will lose oci.there is nothing to do with oci.it is a birth right.please treat all human being equally.so that we can go ahead with good and prosperous life. nandu 12/15/2005 dear sir,there is many cases where women hide their ages at least 5 to 15 years.those days there was no proper birth certificate.so anything happen after marriage who responsible for that? There are so many incident that women even hide there parents name in legal documents.Those days many people used to take children from nursing home,missionary school and may be some distant relatives child without adopting them through the legal agency.pls look in this kind of matter carefully where they deprive their actual parents.I think any women hide their parents name in legal documents should be punished.Anyway in the modern age many things happening in the world so we should not give preference any sex.we should treat everyone equally. Priya 1/6/2006 I got married through net. We met on net. And as he was not able to come I sent marriage documents through courier he signed and sent it back. I signed and got it registered in court. Now he was supposed to come and take me. But now he is avoiding. What can be done? I am really worried. Gope Lalwani 1/10/2006 NEW CALIFORNIA MEDIA AWARD FOR LISA TSERING. Winner: Lisa Tsering, India West PRINT/ONLINE BEST INVESTIGATIVE IN DEPTH JOURNALISM NCM Award given to Lisa Tsering , for highlighting the Massive Misuse of Dowry Law in India . Is this not a shame for our Indian Government and NCW . Lisa Tsering of India West in San Leandra won for Best Investigative story in English for exposing the little-known plight of Indian immigrants who went back to India to get married and found themselves blackmailed by their in-laws who abused India's anti- dowry laws to extort money and green cards. NCM New California Media, America's largest association of ethnic media, announces the winners of its seventh annual ethnic media journalism awards, dubbed "The Ethnic Pulitzers" by the Jim Lehrer News Hour. The NCM Awards, honouring excellence in ethnic media, will be presented at the San Jose Fairmont hotel on Thursday, January 26 from 6 to 9 pm. Over 40 judges selected winners from 250 print, broadcast, and on line submissions in more than 10 languages from Spanish to Punjabi. Lisa Tsering of India West in San Leandra won for Best Investigative story in English for exposing the little-known plight of Indian immigrants who went back to India to get married and found themselves blackmailed by their in-laws who abused India's anti- dowry laws to extort money and green cards. Rekha 1/15/2006 While reading about the fradulent marriages in daily life of Indian girls, there are girls who get married to NRIs. As well known as NON RELIABLE INDIANS, however, is there any source available where information can be sought online or via email about the boy from where ever they are based as the girls relatives may not be based in the cities or countries as the boy. If there was in some form or maner that a boys details can be sought on request in a limited time frame as usually is the case when an NRI would want to marry so that not enough time is available at the hands of the parents of the girl to find more than necessary. I would like to know if any thing is being done in this area as it would be helpful to many girls and parents too. The government or authorities could come up with information that can be trusted and readily available. I hope may parents and definetely girls would agree to this as i. swarup 1/17/2006 I have a very good suggestion after seeing your so much concern of our Indian Girsl , why we can not ask Ms.Indra Jai Sing and Ms. Bindra Karte to make a Bill and put in the parlament and without any discussion , the way 498a , Domestic violence bill passed , we should make a LAW that no NRI should be allowed to marry a Indian Girl . Hope all the problem will be solved . When you people will stop such dirty and money making legal terorism . Do you know US ambesay are tring hard to inform all the NRI to stop marrying Indian girls , as they had been balckmailled and send thier age old parents behind the bar under 498A . Do you know Canada embasy giving waring to Indian NRI , becare full for marrying to a Indian girls , as they are trying to enter in thier country through froud marriage . If you have taken a honest mother milk , immediately , you should appolisise to all the NRI community , otherwise the NRI should file a case aginst MOIA for defemation and damarage case immediately to international court. You might have forget the contribution of NRI towards the support and free flow of the money to Indian feminist for the Women well fare of Indian women , but those NGO instead of doing the real women well fare , given the whole sale free lincence for aduldrate realtionship , whole sale free lincence for elder abuse , whole sale free lincence for killing the child ..the supreme court of India described the misuse of 498A as legal terrorism . Instead of warning to all NRI guys , about the misuse of 498A , you are doing such insulting and defemation work towards our NRI people . Is it there mistake that they want to marry a Indian soil girl in India . If so , let ban the marriage of any NRI guy in India or Send your mother , sister , daughter to them as a postitute , yes they will give you enough money for that , a NRI does not need a dowry or money from your Indian girls family , neither they want a postitute from India , as they can get that easily outside the India . It is their mistake to keep faith to Indian gilrs and for that they should be punished , is it you want to say . if your answer is yes , let make the LAW , as our moder Supernakhs are expert to make all the law to do the legal terrorism and kill the institution of marriage in in India . Let Ban the NRI marriage to any Indian girls . regards swarup swarup 1/17/2006 I have a very good suggestion after seeing your so much concern of our Indian Girsl , why we can not ask Ms.Indra Jai Sing and Ms. Bindra Karte to make a Bill and put in the parlament and without any discussion , the way 498a , Domestic violence bill passed , we should make a LAW that no NRI should be allowed to marry a Indian Girl . Hope all the problem will be solved . When you people will stop such dirty and money making legal terorism . Do you know US ambesay are tring hard to inform all the NRI to stop marrying Indian girls , as they had been balckmailled and send thier age old parents behind the bar under 498A . Do you know Canada embasy giving waring to Indian NRI , becare full for marrying to a Indian girls , as they are trying to enter in thier country through froud marriage . If you have taken a honest mother milk , immediately , you should appolisise to all the NRI community , otherwise the NRI should file a case aginst MOIA for defemation and damarage case immediately to international court. You might have forget the contribution of NRI towards the support and free flow of the money to Indian feminist for the Women well fare of Indian women , but those NGO instead of doing the real women well fare , given the whole sale free lincence for aduldrate realtionship , whole sale free lincence for elder abuse , whole sale free lincence for killing the child ..the supreme court of India described the misuse of 498A as legal terrorism . Instead of warning to all NRI guys , about the misuse of 498A , you are doing such insulting and defemation work towards our NRI people . Is it there mistake that they want to marry a Indian soil girl in India . If so , let ban the marriage of any NRI guy in India or Send your mother , sister , daughter to them as a postitute , yes they will give you enough money for that , a NRI does not need a dowry or money from your Indian girls family , neither they want a postitute from India , as they can get that easily outside the India . It is their mistake to keep faith to Indian gilrs and for that they should be punished , is it you want to say . if your answer is yes , let make the LAW , as our moder Supernakhs are expert to make all the law to do the legal terrorism and kill the institution of marriage in in India . Let Ban the NRI marriage to any Indian girls . regards swarup Rahul 1/18/2006 The proposal is totally preposterous. IPC 498a is havily being misused in India esp against NRIs there is a racket in India to extract money from NRIs. I am a victim of 498a. The proposals are totally biased and one sided. Please visit http://www.498a.org for information on dowry law misuse. santha 1/19/2006 I strongly believe this website is made even to make as much money as possible from us NRI and not to the nation India but into their political pockets. I am disgusted with this administration. UC 2/14/2006 1. It has to be recognized that NRis include individuals of all kinds just like resident Indians. Therefore, making specific laws against NRIs is unfair. If laws are made they should be equally applicable to NRIs and resident Indians. 2. Any laws made should consider the fact that the potential to abuse marriage or indulge in fraud exists in men as well as women. Therefore, both men and women need equal protection against such crimes. 3. There are many NRIs and their famlies who are victims of Indian law. False accusations against anyone, whether they are an NRI or not, should be considered a serious crime and the complainants be severely dealt with. 4. It has to be understood that NRIs represent some of India's best potential. There are many NRIs who are contributing towards India's upliftment in several fields. Making unfair laws will impede not only individual lives but also impair intellectual progress and development of the country in a significant way. Sanil Sukumaran 2/15/2006 It is apparent that misuse of IPC 498A legislation is becoming a common occurrence. it is clear and evident that 498A is largely misused/abused by the daughter-in-law and her family for purpose of extracting money and harassing the groom and his relatives. Solutions for misuse of 498A: • Simply revoking the law is not a solution as the law is intended to protect vulnerable women. As the law stands, the daughter-in-law or her relatives can register a case and watch the harassment against her in-laws. 498A is been misused, the legislation should be amended so that it is bailable, compoundable and non-cognisable to avoid innocent people arrested and imprisoned. • A rigorous investigation must be carried when allegations are reported under 498A section before registering the case to local Magistrate Court. Arrest should happen ONLY after proper investigation and if some truth is found in the complaint. • If found false allegations the person responsible for false 498A must be counter charged under several provisions of IPC and to pay for the physical, emotional and financial loss the appellant has inflicted on the innocent people. The Police and Courts MUST implement these against appellant in order to protect the innocents. Courts must also invoke and implement perjury law too. • Provision MUST be made to punish people for false complaints within the 498A legislation. Afterall, the idea of any legal system is punish the guilty and protect the innocent where male or female. Gope Lalwani 2/28/2006 MISDEEDS OF "MOIA" and "NCW" This is what US President Says about overseas Indians living and working in USA : US President George W Bush has showered lavish praise on nearly 1.7 million Indian Americans by calling them the "brain power behind the high tech boom" that has transformed American society. "As the high-tech boom helped transform our society, a lot of the brain power behind that boom have been Indian Americans, as well as Indians educated here in America," Bush told a group of select Indian journalists at the White House. As against above assessment of US President the "MOIA" and "NCW" the Indian government agencies for some ulterior motives are painting Indian Grooms and their families settled overseas as criminals and frauds, in their booklet. This conduct is not in the national interest of India definitely. Therefore it is time, that Indian government book those unscrupulous characters in India who are responsible for filing false 498A criminal cases against overseas Indians for blackmail and extortion and brought bad name to nation. Gope Lalwani For: SaveIndianFamily Gope Lalwani 3/3/2006 Some time back a reply from Ms. Sandhya Director MOIA sent to Ms, Vandana was posted and part of the reply read as under Misusing any law is definitely wrong and courts go by evidence before penalising therefore the judgements of the court will have to be trusted in such cases. JUDGEMENTS OF THE COURT WILL HAVE TO BE TRUSTED Up till now the conviction rate in 498A as Legal Terrorism declared by Indian Supreme Court is just 2pc and 98pc cases in courts have been Judged false , fraudulent and frame up. The above judgements, which are to be trusted are declared after due process of law. The 2pc conviction result is in spite of the amendment to the Evidence Act which effected, shifting the burden of proof of innocence to the accused, much against normal criminal jurisprudence. Section 498A became part of the Criminal Law Act on 25 December 1983. Therefore under normal criminal jurisprudence, the prosecution under section 498A is not only immoral but also smell of fascist regime in India. The prosecution of the accused is nothing but sending a soldier to the battlefield with both his hands chopped off. As against available all India Conviction rate of 2 percent Judged in 498A prosecutions the conviction rate of overseas Indians for whom "MIOA" is designed to work is 0 percent These statics of Judgements are quite sufficient to prove that this law is being Misused, Abused. Manipulated and Mutilated by vested interests for blackmail and Extortion from Non Resident Indians to claim alimony in dollars. This clearly show that whosoever is using Indian Laws against overseas Indians are themselves criminals, if Indian Judiciary is to be trusted. These are the undisputed facts and ground realities. MOIA' has TERRORISTS within in India to destroy them first. Then only real social Terrorists can be found overseas and dealt with. Let MOIA trust the Judicial out come and behave accordingly to become worthy of respect and TRUST. Thanks Kamlesh 3/6/2006 Gender biasing is incorrect and reflects the image of the country. I obtained my Divorce in United States based on the charge of Adultry, strong email evidence - confirming her pregnency, air-travel and hotel reservation while she was in India for a period of 16 months and later when discussed about this she along with her family filled 498A,attemt of murder and other charges, chargesheet submitted by police within days etc.. etc... High Court provided a Stay against all proceeding 2 years back. Is this correct as per Indian Judicial System to give women the power and un-trained officers to harass your own Citizens who work and earn respect for your Nation. Ministry of Overseas Indian is of No Use and awaits for a day and opportunity to extract dollars when NRI are in trouble. Sridas 4/16/2006 The opinions og "GOPE LALWANI" seem one-sided and are narrow. I believe he himself as the 'victim' of what he describes. May be there are such cases as he claims, but the amount of frauds that are comitted on innocent women and children by the NRI husbands are so great in number that THEY require the most attention. There must be stricter laws that can be applied equally in all India/US/England. I hope Indian authorities will tie up with Interpol on these matters and help in extraditing those NRI Criminals posing as husbands and torturing their wifes who silently bear all the trauma. Gope Lalwani 4/27/2006 PERSONS OF INDIAN ORIGIN -PIO's- ARE NOT INDIAN CITIZENS. THEY ARE FOREIGNERS AS THEY ARE CITIZENS OF OTHER COUNTRIES . PRESENTLY THEY ARE ALSO VICTIMS OF MISUSE OF 498A BECAUSE THEY MARRIED IN INDIA IN TEMPLES AND MOSQUES., DR. AMBATI CASE IS EXAMPLE. ACCORDING TO MARRIAGE OFFICIAL RAKESH SHARMA, SUCH MARRIAGES ARE ILLEGAL.----- SUCH MARRIAGES CAN ONLY BE LEGAL IF THEY ARE SOLEMNISED IN PRESENCE OF MARRIAGE OFFICER IN INDIA WITH ONE MONTH'S ADVANCE NOTICE. THERE ARE 498A CASES GOING ON IN INDIA WHERE EVEN THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN PERSONS OF INDIAN ORIGIN HAS NOT TAKEN PLACE ON INDIAN SOIL MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIANS AFFAIRS AND MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS ARE DUTY BOUND TO CLARIFY THE MATTER BEFORE PUBLISHING FRAUDULENT MARRIAGE BOOKLET. THERE ARE EVEN THOUSANDS OF ARABS FOREIGNERS MARRIED WITH INDIAN BRIDES IN MOSQUE AT HYDERABAD ALONE, WITH NO TRACE OF ANY RECORD LEAVE ASIDE BIGAMY AND POLYGAMY MARRIAGES. THIS IS MOCKERY OF INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND ITS LEGAL SYSTEM IN LIGHT OF FOLLOWING NEWS: Marriage official Rakesh Sharma said foreigners marrying Indians in temples and mosques was not legal. According to the Special Marriages Act of 1954, such marriages can only take place in the marriage officers presence after a months advance notice, he said. Both parties should be citizens of and domiciled within the territories to which the Special Marriage Act 1954 applies. Domicile is the key to Matrimonial proceedings. Bombay High Court has held that Indian DOMICILE is essential condition for both the bride and groom were domiciled in India at the time of their marriage being solemnised in India. This was held by a bench comprising Justices.B.Mhase and Justice Dilip bhosle. One of the Spouse is not domiciled in India at the time of alleged marriage Even if assumed that marriage took place the proceedings are bad in law.i Sudarshan Sharma 4/30/2006 I am NRI from England. If any body is considering marrying in Punjab please get advise from me. I have had so many fraud cases that I myself come across that I would like to warn others to be aware of. I am considering setting up of a website of such fraud cases if any one has a story to tell please let me have the details to my email address. sudarshanjee at hotmail.com please correct the above spelling of email and using the symbol before posting. bhavita shah 5/5/2006 It is disgusting that there is no rules for the people who are cheating the NRI by the means of marriage just to enter the foreign countries please enforce any law for this sin and give justice to the victims who so ever it may be boy or the girl. Gope Lalwani 5/18/2006 NRIs trapped in false 498A cases should demand this facility and hearing should be arranged by Indian consulates with courts in India. As the video conference system is already in use at Indian courts, the Indian Embassy should arrange the same, instead harassing Indian citizens with non renewal of passports. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1535916.cms Gope Lalwani 5/27/2006 Monsters Created By Law IN India. Complaint under section 498A is cognisable offence, nonbailable and cannot be compounded. As a matter of fact this section of Indian Penal Code has become Criminal,Police,Judicial Nexus for Blackmail and Extortion. For filing complaint under Section 498A and alleging cruelty NO proof or evidence is required from the complainant. Complainant is assumed to be telling the Truth. It is accused, who has to prove, that he is innocent and not guilty as alleged in the complaint. This is the ammended Indian law to protect women. A complaint is enough to take into custody all the members of the accused family, and others who are named. The complainant has just to allege, and no one in Indian Justice system goes into the truth of the case. In Courts too, for obvious reasons the sympathy lies with the criminal, who is using the law as an instrument for self gratification and fulfilment of greed. Whether or not the accused persons named in the complaint; have actually committed the offence; they are presumed to be guilty till they prove otherwise during the court trial lasting for several years. Truth will not help in stopping the false prosecution. One has to suffer for several years till the trial is over. This is Indian law of Justice. For Example Indian 498A Girl went to US on Fiance Visa sponsored by US citizen of Indian Origin and got married to him in US, according to US laws in US court. Within 6 months of her marriage,Divorce proceedings were filed in which she demanded alimony of Rs. One Crore alternatively Restitution of Conjugal Rights. The Girl is a Law Attorney of 10 years legal practise in India. Her father is also Senior Law Attorney at Mumbai High Court. They both participated in US court Divorce proceedings. Finally Divorce was Granted by US court. No Alimony was ordered by the US Divorce Court. Both Father-Daughter Duo have been named BLACKMAILERS AND EXTORTIONISTS in the US court Proceedings. According to US laws NO UN-WILLING SPOUSES CAN BE COMPELLED TO LIVE TOGETHER Therefore the plea of Restitution of conjugal Rights was rejected. During the pending Divorce proceeding in US, which was filed in August 2002, and after filing her reply in September 2002 , she filed the complaint with Mumbai Police in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code alleging cruelty to her in US. She did not disclose in the complaint that there was ongoing Divorce proceedings pending against her in US in which she has demanded alimony of Rs, One Crore only alternatively Restitution of conjugal rights She did not disclose in the complaint that she travelled to US on sponsored fiance visa K-1 to marry in US with US citizen. She stated in the complaint that she married in India with a US Green Card Holder Indian Citizen and named all the members of of the US citizen family as Indian Citizens residing in US. Her Passport was neither inspected nor verified nor passport number entered in F.I.R.before registering the complaint as required by law, with the connivance of Mumbai Police. The production and Inspection of her passport would have rendered the complaint fraud and fraudulent. She did not disclose to US divorce court during court proceedings in January 2003; that she had filed a criminal complaint in India earlier in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code, and obtained Non-bailable Arrest Warrants and got posted at Air-ports in India for arrest as proclaimed offenders. She got US citizens arrested at Mumbai Air-port, while returning from short visit to India visiting 92 years old ailing grand Mother, in June 2003 after about 2 months of receiving and acknowleging the US Decree of divorce. She has however left India and settled in Dubai for good. The matter is going on in Mumbai court for about 3 years This above story will give the Idea; about 498A of Indian Penal code. The question is not the scrupulous girl but the law which has created these monsters. Any false complaint is to be decided in trial which takes years in corrupt Indian Judicial system. However under no circumstances 498A of IPC can be prevented or avoided and has no visible cure due to run away corruption in India. 498A IPC IS A LEGAL CANCER IN INDIAN SOCIETY WHICH HAS NO CURE AT ALL LIKE ANY OTHER MEDICAL CANCER WHICH HAS NO CURE Some of the problems with the section 498A of IPC are as under: 1. It rewards frauds and cheats for using the law. 2. It makes the accuser the prosecutor, the judge and the jury all rolled into one. 3. It makes all the families subject to destruction on the whims and fancies of criminals girl and her families who want to get rich. 4. It has no safeguards for the innocent. 5. It facilitates elder and child abuse by the accusers without any fear of punishment. 6. It lays down no automatic punishments for the scrupulous accusers, even after it is proved that the accused persons were innocent and the complaints were fraudulent. 7. It enables violation of the privacy, sanctity and the dignity of the innocent families, and throws the very existence of Indian families to the vultures in the police force, criminals in the society and at the mercy of the lawyers and the inefficiencies of the court system in India. 8. It provides monetary inducements for corruption, falsehoods, revenge, blackmail and extortion; therefore an invitation to the increasing crimes in India. 9. It is a monster and menace, created by the law; and does not belong in any civilised and democratic society as it smells like fascism. Only fascist dictatorships and enemies of the society create laws that destroys the very society they claim to protect 10. The guilty who make frivolous and scandalous complaints or start false prosecutions get off Scott free at the cost and expense of the public exchequer M 5/30/2006 Men use women to get place in society,It is also a fact.They live with another women and leave their childern and wives.They use the laws of the country,they are residing and nobody stops them.It is very difficult to survive alone in a foreign country.NCW,GOIand every otherorganisation if does not help WOMAN,who will? Gope Lalwani 6/4/2006 Dear Sirs, I am father of the victim, who committed SIN of marrying an Indian Girl. Indian 498A Girl came to US on Fiance Visa sponsored by US citizen of Indian Origin and got married to him in US, according to US laws in US court. Within 6 months of her marriage,Divorce proceedings were filed in which she demanded alimony of Rs. One Crore alternatively Restitution of Conjugal Rights. The Girl is a Law Attorney of 10 years legal practise in India. Her father is also Senior Law Attorney at Mumbai High Court. They both participated in US court Divorce proceedings. Finally Divorce was Granted by US court. No Alimony was ordered by the US Divorce Court. Both Father Daughter Duo have been named BLACKMAILERS AND EXTORTIONISTS in the US court Proceedings. According to US laws NO UN WILLING SPOUSES CAN BE COMPELLED TO LIVE TOGETHER Therefore the plea of Restitution of conjugal Rights was rejected. During the pending Divorce proceeding in US, which was filed in August 2002, and after filing her reply in September 2002 , she filed the complaint with Mumbai Police in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code alleging cruelty to her in US. She did not disclose in the complaint that there was on going Divorce proceedings pending against her in US in which she has demanded alimony of Rs, One Crore only alternatively Restitution of conjugal rights She did not disclose in the complaint that she travelled to US on sponsored fiance visa K-1 to marry in US with US citizen. She stated in the complaint that she married in India with a US Green Card Holder Indian Citizen and named all the members of of the US citizen family as Indian Citizens residing in US. Her Passport was neither inspected nor verified nor passport number entered in F.I.R.before registering the complaint as required by law, with the connivance of Mumbai Police. The production and Inspection of her passport would have rendered the complaint fraud and fraudulent. She did not disclose to US divorce court during court proceedings in January 2003; that she had filed a criminal complaint in India earlier in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code, and obtained Non-bailable Arrest Warrants and got posted at Air-ports in India for arrest as proclaimed offenders. She got US citizens arrested at Mumbai Air-port, while returning from short visit to India visiting 92 years old ailing grand Mother, in June 2003 after about 2 months of receiving and acknowledging the US Decree of divorce. She has however left India and settled in Dubai for good. The matter is going on in Mumbai court for about 3 years This story will give the Idea; about 498A of Indian Penal code. The question is not the unscrupulous girl but the law which has created these monsters.The complaint is to be decided in trial which takes years in corrupt Indian Judicial system. However under no circumstances 498A of IPC can be prevented or avoided and has no visible cure due to run away corruption in India. 498A IPC IS A LEGAL CANCER IN INDIAN SOCIETY WHICH HAS NO CURE LIKE ANY OTHER MEDICAL CANCER Regards. Gope Lalwani 6/20/2006 Dear Sirs, This has reference to the news in Times of India that the National Commission for Women are holding a conference on June 19, 2006 at Chandigarh on the issue to save NRI marriages. Hope that the conference, will also find solutions to the fraudulent marriages by Indian Citizen Girls, who marry for immigration visa to US, UK, Canada and Australia Dream Countries or for Blackmail and Extortion. This will greatly help Non Resident Indians of Indian Origin, who are pumping in billions of dollars in Indian Economy for the love of the motherland. The example besides episode of Dr. Ambati family well known youngest surgeon in US who were blackmailed for US 500,000 dollars and other Hundreds of cases of fraud being committed on NRIs under section 498A is as under Indian girl came to US on Fiance Visa sponsored by US citizen and got married to him in US, according to US laws in US court. Within 6 months of her marriage,the Divorce proceedings were filed in which she demanded alimony of Rs. One Crore alternatively Restitution of Conjugal Rights. She is a Law Attorney of 10 years legal practise in India. Her father is also Senior Law Attorney at Mumbai High Court. They both daughter father duo participated in US court divorce proceedings. Finally divorce was granted by US court. No alimony was ordered by the US Court. Both father daughter Duo have been named Blackmailers and Extortionists in the court Proceedings. According to US laws the plea of Restitution of conjugal Rights was rejected as No unwilling spouse can be compelled to live together according to US law. During pending Divorce proceeding in US, which was filed in August 2002, and after filing her reply in September 2002 , she filed the complaint with Mumbai Police in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code alleging cruelty to her in US. 1. She did not disclose in the complaint that there was ongoing Divorce proceedings pending against her in US in which she has demanded alimony of Rs, One Crore only alternatively requested for Restitution of conjugal rights. 2. She did not disclose in the complaint that she travelled to US on sponsored fiance visa K-1 to marry in US with US citizen. 3. She stated in the complaint that she married in India with a US Green Card Holder Indian Citizen and named all the members of of the US citizen family as Indian Citizens residing in US. No proof to support the statement has been furnished nor the evidence has been recorded in the F.I.R. 4. Her Passport was neither inspected nor verified nor passport number entered in F.I.R as required by law, with the connivance of Mumbai Police. The production and Inspection of her passport would have rendered the said complaint fraud and fraudulent 5. She did not disclose to US divorce court during court proceedings in January 2003 that she had filed a criminal complaint in India earlier in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code, and obtained Nonbailable Arrest Warrants and got posted at Airports in India for arrest as proclaimed offenders. 6. She got US citizens arrested at Mumbai Airport, while returning from short visit to India visiting 92 years old ailing grand Mother, in June 2003 after about 2 months of receiving and acknowledging the US Decree of divorce. 7. She has however left India and settled in Dubai for good. The matter is going on in Mumbai court for about 3 years. Accused family are US Citizens of Indian Origin and have been separated from their near and dear ones in India, and have been prevented to visit India for rest of their life even for social or religious purposes. Thanking You, Yours Faithfully Gope Lalwani Gajinder Singh 6/21/2006 Please ask the media to be sensitive towards the plight of girls duped by NRIs. Calling them "Holiday Wives" is derogatory. It coveys a wrong impression. Ask the girls who have become the victims. They need to be looked upon with tenderness and helped with jobs. If the government canot provide them with any means to suatain them, the private sector should come forward to emply them. These girls have nowhere to go and remarrying too becomes an onerous task for them. Let us all get together to stop unsctpulous NRI grooms from exploiting them. Newspapers must be requested to publish their photographs. TV channels should also beam them. Manoj 6/23/2006 Now a days Divorce by a NRIs seems becoming common factor which Indian girls are facing It is of great concern to dealt with Due to globalization, Western culture is making its grip on Indian culture traditions Indian values are hiding behind the blazing western culture. Indian Govt. should take this issue on Top priority other than domestic issues and take necessary and rigid steps against NRIs who do fraud on the pretext of marriage and plays with the emotions of Indian girls leaving her helpless break hearted and lifeless in all respect which cannot be counted in terms of money Divorce has become a legal way of prostitution which money seekers and money minded people are adopting without any fear because they have the man made reasons behind an controvercy in taking divorce The question arises why NRIs take divorce in foreign country why notr in India, if they are innocent The reason is clear that they know they will punish much in India in terms of long hearings and proceedings of courts and fear of Police but they get it easily in foreign country Thus taking benefit of this they are ruining Indian culture Q if you have pain in your finger what did you do - Cut the finger of gives it proper treatment to heal In such way divorce is not a solution of any problem except to sort out mutully if they have clear hearts and does not have any Black in their thinking. In my view due to divorce a girl suffers a lot than a boy because she cannot hide of being a divorcee and a boy can easily hide of being a divorcee You can also judge this practically that many NRIs who are over 31 and are well settled and having no reason for not being married such NRIs claims that they are unmarried which in reality most of them are divorced, who do not want to disclose their maritial status due to want of unmarried girls from India. This you can easily see practically not in papers on web sites and in newspapers. We cannot give blame to Indian parents that why they marry their daughter with a NRI. To know the answer ask from your self. Did you not want that your daughter will have a bright future. ?. Misguiding factor has become most common by NRIs to innocent families of Indian girls. The common key excuses by NRIs are “ That the girl is having boy friend, so after landing at foreign land she flew away and left the boy” another is “ The girl and their family are greedy they wants money “. Is you belive in the above comments.?. These are key blams which NRIs feels easy to get rid of the girl by false blames on her. It is also another surprising fact that a NRI comes to India to marry and all his family members who are residing in India ceremonies their marriage, attending all functions organized to performed the marriage of NRI and later on when the boy takes divorce all his family members in India says that they have no concern with the boy who is in foreign country and get rid of from the charges or complaint filed by the girl and easily get stay orders from Indian court to protect them because they protect them by stay order of the court and the boy protect him in staying in foreign country, so who suffers ? The GIRL. Practically, Is it possible that their family members who arranges the marriage of NRI do not have any concern when the issue of divorce arises. This truly seems misguiding to Public and Govt. by their families. The Govt should change its old Rules in case of NRI marriages and take this issue on the practical way. The compensation-maintanence of divorced NRI girl should be rises according to the boy earnings in foreign country. The dirvoced girl from a foreign country is more victim then a divorced girl in domestic country where the girl is living because in forgien country, no one is there to provide moral support to girl except to social agencies. In domestic country everyone is there to protect and provide moral support to a girl and give them inner protection and piece, which a Indian girl wants The govt should change its old laws which are not feasible to the current era and make strict rules to punish such NRIs. If a NRI does not hesitate to spoil life of Indian girl. The Indian Govt should also not hesitate in spoiling their carrear by strict punishment. If Govt. foung any NRI involved in more than one divorce, his carrear may be spoiled immediately debarring reasons for his innocence and call back to India to face trials of Indian Court and insist them to refuse to take divorce and accept the girl after sorting out the issues. Remember, We are Indians and we have only one wife, Divorce is not a solution except giving everlasting Pain to Girl and her family. kkk 6/26/2006 1. Marriage can go sour for hundred reasons. 2. Once it has gone sour, there will be animosity by default. 3. Every being on this earth is selfish such that his interestes should be protected first. 4. Then Why would any woman in this case not file 498a or such case if she has nothing to loose and everything to gain. 5.Given the draconian power this law holds, tell me one reason why any average woman on earth would not want to use this to blackmail his husband /family. 6. Everybody on earth knows that since ages whenever girls parents have tried to interfere in husband wife relations things have only gone bad. In a new marriage, what on earth should i do to make one believe that woman who has just entered into a new relation, will confide foremost with what her parents than say to you since she has spent more than 50 times more time with them so far in life than you. Gone are the days when women used to think the new family as their own family because they were financially dependent on it. In todays world when women are independent they want to do whatever they like even if it means ignoring values/respect and consideration for elders of new family e.t.c. I do not debate that and i do not mind that and let them behave whatever eay they feel...but pls do not let them wield this draconian law to put everybody else's life miserable. If you think you can not stay in marriage, or that marriage is please divorce, but do not blackmail me and make my parents life. 7. To the govt, please give me a chnace to prove that i am not guilty before taking action against me. 8.To the govt, please punish those whom you find guilty to misuse to the severest extent for they are beinging a bad name to the intentions behind bringing this law. 9. The least you can do is to make all these laws gender neutral. Pls allow husbands to narrate their sorry tale and punish their mischevious wifes via law. miserable. Gope Lalwani 6/28/2006 HOW AND WHY THESE HIGH PROFILE 498A CASES ARE BEING IMMEDIATELY DISPOSED OFF IN RECORD TIME AND WITHOUT ANY ARREST OF THE ACCUSED AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. RECENT HIGH PROFILE 498A CASES REPORTED IN MEDIA, WHICH THE COURTS IN INDIA DISPOSED OFF IN RECORD TIME ARE 1 HOODA CHEIF MINISTER OF HARYANA WITHOUT ANY ARREST OF FAMILY MEMBERS 2 L.K.ADVANI LEADER OF OPPOSITION WITHOUT ANY ARREST OF FAMILY MEMBERS 3 ASHUTOSHs UNIQUE SITUATION WITHOUT ANY ARREST OF FAMILY MEMBERS 4 INCOME TAX COMMISSIONER IN U.P. WITHOUT ANY ARREST OF FAMILY 5 THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER SIMILAR CASES WITHOUT ARREST OF FAMILY AND DISPOSED OFF BY INDIAN JUDICIARY IN RECORD TIME IS NOT THIS CORRUPTION IN INDIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM? THIS SITUATION PROVE THAT THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IN INDIA IS CONTROLLED BY POLITICIANS AND HIGH PROFILE INDIANS, AND JUDGES ARE THEIR SERVANTS. While these High profile cases, having some substantial background, have been disposed off in record time the FALSE 498A CASES are not seeing the light of the day. In this 498A FALSE CASE Indian Girl came to US on Fiance Visa sponsored by US citizen and got married to him, according to US laws in US court. Within 6 months of her marriage, Divorce proceedings were filed against her due to various reasons of her misconduct;in which she demanded alimony of Rs. One Crore alternatively Restitution of Conjugal Rights. She is a Law Attorney of 10 years legal practise in Mumbai. Her father is also Senior Law Attorney at Mumbai High Court. They both participated in US court divorce proceedings. Finally divorce was granted by US court on April 01, 2003. No alimony was ordered by the US Court. Both father-daughter Duo have been named Blackmailers and Extortionists. According to US laws the plea of Restitution of conjugal Rights was rejected. No unwilling spouse can be compelled to live together according to US law. During pending Divorce proceeding in US, which was filed in August 2002, and after filing her reply in September 2002 , she filed the complaint with Mumbai Police in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code alleging cruelty to her in US. 1. She did not disclose in the complaint that there was on-going Divorce proceedings pending against her in US in which she has demanded alimony of Rs, One Crore only alternatively requested for Restitution of conjugal rights. 2. She did not disclose in the complaint that she travelled to US on sponsored fiance visa K-1 to marry in US with US citizen. 3. She stated in the complaint that she married in India with a US Green Card Holder Indian Citizen and named all the members of of the US citizen family as Indian Citizens residing in US. No proof to support the statement has been furnished nor the evidence has been recorded in the F.I.R. 4. Her Passport was neither inspected nor verified nor passport number entered in F.I.R as required by law, with the connivance of Mumbai Police. The production and Inspection of her passport would have rendered the said complaint fraud and fraudulent 5. She did not disclose to US divorce court during court proceedings in January 2003; that she had filed a criminal complaint in India earlier in December 2002 under section 498A of Indian Penal Code, and obtained Non-bailable Arrest Warrants and got posted at Air-ports in India for arrest as proclaimed offenders. 6. She got US citizens arrested at Mumbai Air-port, while returning from short visit to India visiting 92 years old ailing grand Mother, in June 2003 after about 2 months of receiving and acknowledging the US Decree of divorce of April 2003. 7. She has however left India and settled in Dubai for good. The matter is going on in Mumbai court for about 3 years. The family of US Citizens have been separated from their near and dear ones in India. They have been prevented to visit India even for social or religious purposes, for fear of arrest without bail and jailed till the false case is over The question is not only the unscrupulous girl but the law which has created these monsters. The false complaints are to be decided in trial which takes years in corrupt Indian Judicial system. For Rs 25 lakh, NRI gets divorce settlement’ Aman Sharma Rekha 7/2/2006 Respected Sir/Madam, I'm one of the victims of such a marriage. I work for an MNC in India as a Senior Software Engineer. I was married in september 2005, to a student in USA pursuing his PhD there. I was told that he will be convocating in December and will take up a professor's job in the same university. He would be calling me soon after that. But, after leaving to USA he is absconding and his parents have necked me out of the house when their constant dowry demands were not met after harassing me. When my mother goes to talk they abuse her, and say their son's papers have been rejected and he is on roads, and are also demanding dowry. My consent for marriage has been taken on fraud basis and it is also a case of desertion because of dowry. My husband is still on a student visa, will he be under the protection of international rules? Can I take action against my husband for cheating me? Is there any law, where such people can be punished for exploiting women in the name of marriage and deserting them later. And his parents are encouring him by talking all loose stuff about me in the neighbourhood. Please advice. Thanks, Rekha A Venkat Ramana Rao 7/4/2006 NRI marriages must be registered in India NRI who married indian women girl must deposit his overseas passport if applied for divorce or cancel his pass port for trails for Indian Courts and must deposit minimum of 20 000 US dollors in bride name before marriage A Venkat Ramana Rao Certified CYber Crime Investigator Bhavya 7/6/2006 I think the role of NCW on anti-dowry act is one sided only.Their propoganda of holding grooms responsible of anything and everything responsible in brides life should go. NCW should not forget that this is 21st century and women are "ABLA NARI TODAY". Tell me a person who does not listen to his wife? It is the bride in a family who is overreactive.Every marital dispute is not 498a IPC. But NCW is favouring every female. Listen to both the sides then reach a conclusion. Presently, there is a racket in india where this law is getting misued to extort money from overseas indians. But MOIA, NCW and other authorities are just ignoring the issue and disturbing the family harmony and Indian culture. Please look for appropriate changes in 498a IPC. Regards, Bhavya Gope Lalwani 7/7/2006 Dear Sirs Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Mr.Vayalar Ravi has said that an NRI Centre to address social and economic issues concerning the Indian American community is expected to become operational soon here in US. The Centre would interface with the Overseas Affairs ministry under the administrative control of the Indian Ambassador. Final touches are being given to the setting up of a NRI Centre in Washington, which is expected to become operational very soon, The NRI Centre will be trying its best to bring down complaints of Fraudulent marriages and scams surfacing in the US and Canada. The Minister has spoken about the complaints of abuses of fraudulent marriage and scams which will be dealt with by the proposed NRI Centres in US. The honourable Minister has not suggested, as to what he propose to do about FALSE CASES registered under Section 498A in India against NRIs AND INDIAN AMERICANS WHO ARE ARRESTED AT AIRPORTS AND DETAINED IN INDIA BY CORRUPT POLICE AND BLACKMAILERS IN COLLUSION FOR EXTORTION ? Indian unscrupulous women married to US based Indians are going to India; over-riding the US legal system, to register criminal cases under section 498A of Indian Penal Code, against their Husbands and parents. IPC 498A of Indian law is an easy weapon in the hands of these criminal, vindictive and abusive Indian wife 0r daughter-in-law, with which their Husband and his entire parental family as well as friends can be harassed, Jailed, and subjected to blackmail and Extortion. The clarification in this matter shall be highly appreciated. Regards gopelalwani Dr.Prit Paul Kaur 7/8/2006 I have done research both in India and USA ,and made presentations on the issue of International Marriages during Parvasi Bhartia Divas,in International Association of Women Police at San francisco and recently in California State University sancramento,california,USA. My opinion is that we cannot takle this problem by amending laws only.we have do something at people's level to tackle the problem.I have developed a project and ready to discuss with any person intersted to find the solution for this ongoing problem.Thanks.Prit AKA 7/8/2006 This suggests and encourages another way to harash NRIs when they vist India, as a govt sponsered/ approved extorsion. Currently an Indian court also enorsed such practice by allowing a settlement with one google employee. I think only way to put pressure to stop this is by stoppimng to send dollar to India and find means where Indian institutions won't see the forign currency a whooping 23.3bn dollars you and me used to send to get such treatment in return. Otherwise no political party or government would like to change such baised law as this would affect teh often bullish women vote. kumar 7/17/2006 Rather than saying that any injustices meted out will be delt with according to law it is unfortunate that it is made gender biased.We clearly need to appreciate that there are husbands tortured by wives as well.What is needed is not to make marrital problems criminal but educate all parties involved and bring justice to everybody who is suffering.You guys are directing state machinery towards disaster.India will be a complete disaster if laws like 498a and dv bill and proposed marital rape comes into effect.I propose indian men need to decide between selfrespect and marriage.How can our leaders are so blind.One day when 498a and dv bill picks on you all of you guys will getout of your sleep b cos u wont be sleeping anymore.God bless India. M SHETTY 7/17/2006 This clearly is a one sided ideas of antimen lobby.It is a shame that in the name of supporting women we are trying our best to attack the family structure by making issues as criminal.Why cant we treat everybody equally irrespective of male or female.I totally agree that if there is any evidence let the person get max punishment but how can anybody with sane mind support laws like 498a and dv bill as well as one proposed here and another called marital rape.I am sure if women dont want an nri they can refuse to marry and nobody will force them.Educated women particularly are misleading the police and judiciary to take revenge against their husbands family.We are propagating broken families by criminalising problem marriages.One day it will catch up with you guys too.I feel innocents should not be punished at any cost.Will our best and beloved manmohan singh take this into account.God knows.God bless him if he brings laws like this. Vikas Suri 7/24/2006 I would say that the version ministry does not accurately reflect the ground reality. Wheile there may be many casses of the scenario presented by the ministry and the NCW, there are also countless number of casses where the grooms from US and or Canada married with a clear heart only to later reaise that the other party only wanted an easy way abroad and was not interested in the marriage. On top of it such people misuse the dowry laws and harass the family of the groom for no fault of theirs. TRUE dowry is a massive problem in India but the real women suffering due to this are not getting the help, instead there days the girls family who are in most casses well off, get into sham marraiages with unsuspecting men, only with an agenda to come to canada/US with their family or boyfrieds, get a huge settlement from the family courts in US/Canada, use the corrupt indian police to level false charges against the guy and basically ruin his life. I think you folks need to have a balanced write up, if you want this website to have some credibility. g.gurucharan 8/22/2006 Is the discussion forum working? mukesh 8/23/2006 testing jhdhsahd 8/23/2006 sduhfhuefuew Dr R K Verma 8/23/2006 It works. 23-8-2006 Saurabh Ojha 8/24/2006 Dear Sir, High Court India has created a word 'SOWRY' means method of legally extorting money from Husband. And believe me its more popular than Dowry. While anti-dowry laws can be mis-used, SOWRY is actually a legal blackmailing tool provided by feminists and their supporters to the wife. Please do not misguide people by blaming NRI grooms and their family. I will advise you to take Supreme Court views of actual facts before writing anything officially here. Regards, Saurabh Kumar Ojha Andy 8/24/2006 I am EXTREMELY disappointed by this article. India is being hijacked by the feminists. First of all, marriage is a civil issue and in NO country EXCEPT India is this a CRIMINAL case. NCW is suggesting that any marriage fraud be made a criminal case. Also, it is very interesting to note that all the punishment is towards NRI grooms and all the benefits are for the females. What if there is a fraud by the girl ? Shouldn't she be punished ? and why is the term "NRI husband" everywhere ? Shouldn't it just be spouse ?? Folks, the sad truth is that NCW and other feminist organizations are leading India towards a path of social destruction. Marriage as an institution is under threat and these organizations promote hate and intolerance. What makes a marriage work is toelrance and ability to adjust. Due to the recommendations of feminist organizations, women favoring laws are being misused to a great extent in the Indian metros. No protection exists for the husband or his family. I would urge the govt. of India, in general, and MOIA and MEA, in particular, to be aware of the social realities and request the lawmakers to make laws that promote harmony and tolerance and give people a reason to be in a marriage, rather than making insane one sided laws that make marriage and families practically unfeasible. Jai Hind - A victim of Indian Laws Durga Prasad Kollu 8/24/2006 Hi, I am very sad about your attitude towards NRI s. There are thosands of NRI s suffering from false 498A cases. Most of the middle class indian women marry to an NRI and later file false cases to extort money from them. For women there is no loss because she is not loosing any thing but for guy it is a big mental tension , financial loss, staying away from his own country and parents. Thanks, A victim of Flase 498A cases xyz 8/24/2006 xyz testing Nisha 8/24/2006 False complaints under section 498A of Indian penal code have become a weapon in India with active support groups. We are victims of this law. We never took or demand dowry. A number of U.S. citizen men who have come to India to marry Indian nationals have been arrested and charged with crimes related to dowry extraction. The courts sometimes order the U.S. citizens to pay large sums of money in exchange for the dismissal of charges sb repr 8/24/2006 The girls who marry NRIs are mostly highly educated themselves, many from upper middle class family, many working. Many these types of girls are under the influence of NCW and feminazis thinking, and false brainwashing of media by feminists. So for many girls making marriage work is impossible. In these cases matrimonial discord happens. The article tends to forget this reality and instead blames and punishes innocent husbands for all matrimonial discord. Instead we should focus on making divorce easy so that good men are not distroying their lifes. with Govt. funding of feminists the marriage breakup is increasing. About 10, 000 ,Ten thousand, complaints by wifes in delhi alone in 1 year, this is not a small number of mens lifes to be distroyed every year . This number is increasing every year due to Govt. funding of feminazis and wrong laws. So lets not waste the life of husbands by one sided unequal laws. Lets make it easy for NRIs to fight cases by wifes under one sided laws made to torture husbands. Let NRIs be allowed to use vidoe conferencing to attend court hearings specially NRIs who find it dificult to contest cases due to long travel distances,. Lets make divorce easier for men , from wrong one sided Indian laws meant to instigate women to distroy marriage. Punish women doing false complaints, stop the new domestic violence bill made to occupy the house by wife and remove all others from the house, which is wrong, and lead to harm to everyone in society. Chirag Shah 8/25/2006 Dear Ministry Officials, I read your write up on the Failed and Fraudulent marriages and I surprisingly have a something to important to say. Are we living in a feminist autocratic government/society or what ? Aren't we a Democracy and are we not suppose to hear everyone and treat everyone equally ? I am surprised to read that only Men are held responsible for failed marriages. Why has only NCW been asked to provide recommenations ? What about the voice of those thousands of Men suffering from unreasonable, unsculptrous and greedy women who are actually responsible for lot of failed marriages just because of their wrong expectations in life. This website and the artcile doesn't mention/address one of the biggest issue that the NRI community is facing today. The rediculous MISUSE OF IPC 498a. Why is the government acting as if it doesn't know anything about the misuse of 498a whereas its them who made this as a law and their own corrupt police and law system is breeding the whole thing. Even after several indications by supreme court judges nothing is being done to rectify the mistakes in writing this law. I request the MOIA ministry to reconsider things published on the website and also in the handbookto prepare a more balanced and unbiased opinion about broken marriages. As if the Men suffering in the marriages do not have life and heart of their own ????Please get a correct perspective. Please do not forget that it is your own NRI community and successful NRI Men/Women who came out and worked hard to bring a part of the prosperity that India is getting today. Y Bhavy 8/25/2006 Dear Law makers, It is .com era... marriages are happening through matrimonial websites the new trend of extortion has started happening in the country on the name of 498A. A girl and family finds a rich NRI match from a website, then marriage, then living some days/month/years with husband and regularly sending money to her parents, then coming back to india....then....false 498A...then outside courtsettlement......then lot of cash and money to girl and family...then another NRI.......and then......another misuse....and so on... 498A IPC.... is it a law? Please check its misuse.....your marriage system is collapsing.... Jago...India...Jago.... Best Wishes Y Bhavy Vani Khosla 8/25/2006 Hi, I was always under the impression that women are being harrassed due to dowry and hence a law against dowry is required. After reading this article and the posts, I did some research of my own and I am shocked to say the least. I happened to come across the following videos on the internet. - Somehow, the website is not allowing me to submit the link to the videos. Please search for dowry on video.yahoo.com or video.google.com - I was under the impression that generally the anti dowry law is for a woman's benefit but I do see now how it is being misused and how innocent women and children suffer due to this law. I think the intention of the laws are good, but there should be a provision to prevent misuse. Maybe, if a case is proven to be false or frivolous, then the people who made the false complaint should be arrested. I am a woman myself and I feel we need such a law but I am also disgusted by the women who abuse this law. I hope, the abuse of this law does not cause any changes which will take away the protection needed by women who are indeed tortured for dowry. Vani Sahi 8/25/2006 The MOIA needs to wake up and move into the 21st century. Divorce is becoming commonplace all over the world. In the western world, almost 1 in 2 marriages end in a divorce. Modern day Indians are following suit and therefore divorces are on the increase. Unlike the rest of the world, India tries to turn many of the divorces into a dowry case because there is easy money to be made by the corrupt elements, be it the police, women cells, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, etc.. The decent judges, bureaucrats and politicians are too scared to buck the trend for fear of being harmed by the women’s groups and therefore, goonda raj continues to prosper. Corruption and dishonesty are not gender specific. Every woman who files a false dowry case has a corrupt father or brother who would have extracted a dowry at the time of the marriage had their daughter or sister been a son or brother and just because she is not; they want to extort money at the divorce. What a racket. Because of the false dowry accusations in India, 90 percent are false and filed by a dishonest family, or the accusations filed in a divorce in the USA, over 65 percent are false as per the US Courts and as per psychologists at-least 85 percent are false, an Indian marriage is ugly. Its going to get even uglier. After all, we are dealing with some natural born liars and their dishonest families, who are vain, vindictive, manipulative, devious, and with great histrionic abilities find it easy to play the victim, turn on the tears and then make their victims out to be the abusers. So, we have two options here. We can add open marriage and the dowry laws to the short list of controversies—abortion, affirmative action, and the death penalty. Or we can think outside the box. Offering an institution as important as marriage to male-female couples only is discrimination. Or so the gay rights movement will now argue. Persuasively, I think. There is a solution that ought to satisfy both camps and may not be a bad idea even apart from the dowry controversy. That solution is to end the institution of marriage. Or rather the solution is to end the institution of law-sanctioned marriage. Or, framed to appeal to conservatives: End the lawyers’ monopoly on marriage and divorce. Wait, I've got it: Privatize marriage, even beyond the money grabbing priests. These slogans all mean the same thing. Let temples and other religious institutions continue to offer marriage ceremonies and maybe also divorce. Let department stores and property dealers get into the act if they want. Let each organization decide for itself what kinds of couples it wants to offer marriage and divorce to. Let couples celebrate their union in any way they choose and consider themselves married whenever they want. Let others be free to consider them not married, under rules these others may prefer. And, yes, if three people want to get married, or one person wants to marry herself, and someone else wants to conduct a ceremony and declare them married, let them. If you and sons are not implicated, what do you care? Marriage is about more than just dowry or sleeping arrangements. There are children, finances, and spousal benefits like health insurance and pensions. In Indian divorces, false dowry accusations are being used as a substitute for other factors that are harder to measure, such as financial dependence or devotion to offspring. It would be possible to write rules that measure the real factors at stake and leave dowry out of the matter. Regarding children and finances, people can set their own rules, as many already do. None of this would be easy, but abolishing marriage seems the easiest solution of all. Raj Singh 8/25/2006 Dear Sir/Madam: I wanted to bring to your attention that these days Government and Media have taken a biased stand towards Girls side. People who live away from India are threatned with Dowry laws, incase the marriage fails because of temperamental issues/differences. There are many people in India who take the advantage of these biased laws to exort money, and cause damage to boy and his family. For any dispute raised with NRIs, I think due attention should be given to both the side, and we should keep in mind that its not always the boys who are on the wrong side. Many girls are liars, cheats, offenders as well. Take the example of Zahira Sheikh, who fooled complete India and Media. Interesting everyone believed her in first instance, but then the truth came out, and she was sent to Jail. As in Western Countries, India should also learn from them that there should be no gender bias, and justice should be given to each party. Whoever is found guilty should be punished, but no one should be blamed for something which he/she has not done. Dowry Act in India, is one of the most foolish acts ever seen. The girl simply walks in Police Station and the boy gets arrested. No reason, No evidence, No witness. This should not be the case, everyone should be given fair chance to prove his innocence. I hope somelines will shed some light on the plights of India living abroad. Your help and cooperation is much appreicated. Kind Regards Raj Manoj Kumar 8/25/2006 This is a one-sided article completely biased in favor of womwn and shows the Indian men in very poor light. There may be few instances of fraud by NRIs however there is a fairly large number of women from India who marry the innocent people out of greed. Rao 8/25/2006 Marriage is union of man and wife and both are entitled to protection of government. This is a great article as far as women is concerned but not addressing issues that man faces with troubled marriage. What about the number of grooms and thier families facing criminal and civil charges in India just because the bride did not adjust to live in foriegn land and expects big bucks in the form extorsion settlement? Is there any forum or government agency they can approach?. What MOIA is doing to help the grooms and thier families suffering from the cruel and sinister brides? Does MOIA recognise there is 498a section in criminal procedure code that bride can get entire blood relation of groom in India to get arested and procecuted without any proof but just with one line complaint?. My request to government of India is to speak about the frauds commited by women in the same breath as men and protect both men and women from frauds/cheating. Rajesh 8/26/2006 I sincerely request the MOIA to shed some light on the following - 1. It is strange that almost all the Indian marriage disputes reported are tied to the dowry. Is dowry only the root cause for all the marriage disputes? 2. On an average a NRI earns around Rs. 10 lakhs per Annum. I heard many dowry harassment complaints stating that the guy left the gal because the later didn’t meet the former’s dowry demand of Rs 5 lakhs or 10 lakhs. Why would an NRI ruin his life just for the sake of Rs. 5 lakh or Rs. 10 lakh? 3. I have seen/heard many women filing dowry harassment cases after going back to India. If they are harassed by NRIs while they were here why didn’t they open their mouth here? This itself says many of the dowry harassment cases are filed by women under the instigation of their parents to extort money. 4. I have seen/heard many cases where the dowry harassment cases are registered against NRI’s parents and relatives back in India. I don’t understand how could the NRI’s parents harass the gal if the later is in US and the parents are in India. Does this convey anything to you? 5. I know many NRI victims of dowry law who reached their present stage after enduring many difficulties in life. I know many NRI victims who graduated from elite educational institutions like IITs, IISc, IIMs etc. Can you imagine how they and their parents would have felt when they got victimized under the unscrupulous dowry laws? 6. It is a known fact that there is only 2 percent conviction in dowry harassment cases. Supreme court of India itself has stated this law as “Legal terrorism” and has made recommendations to amend the dowry harassment law. Thanks Rajesh rao 8/26/2006 What is the punishment for bride-who is hiding facts and getting married to NRI grooms. this is completely one sided .why dont we follow similar guidelines for both women and men. lots of senior citizens and mostly old women are suffring bcause of false 498 A cases. Sarfran 8/26/2006 In most parts of the civilized world, domestic issues are resolved by civil laws. In criminal law, a person is innocent until proven guilty based on evidence. As per the draconian Indian dowry law, the man, his family and his friends are considered guilty without any evidence being required, are jailed, harassed, and subjected to extortion and stigmatization until proven innocent. There is no way that a wife would acquire a part of her husband's property or a lump sump payment from him, when marriage is irretrievably broken within a couple of years. This is the main reason for the misuse of the dowry laws. They are being used as a tool for blackmail to extort money out of the in laws. In urban India, the majority of families have adequate knowledge regarding IPC Section 498A, commonly known as the 'dowry law', which was introduced in an attempt to eliminate DOWRY that affects mostly the illiterate or poor in India. As per this law, although both giving and taking of dowry is illegal, only the taker is to be punished. When Poornima Advani, the NCW chairperson was asked why no action has been taken against those giving dowry, she replied 'We must remember that it is the poverty stricken people who are the main victims'. However, she ignores the fact that most cases where Sec 498A is invoked turn out to be false as they are mere blackmail attempts by the educated middle class wife or her close relatives, when faced with a crumbling marriage. Once the word 'divorce' comes into the picture, the attempt is to grab what you can, and what better way to settle old scores and take over all the husband's and his familys' assets? Obviously, the filing of a divorce case by the husband against an abusive wife has to be countered with the 'dowry' accusations, the sure shot way of making money as then the husband's entire family is under the gun to settle on the wife's terms. There have been instances where, without any investigation, the police have arrested elderly parents and even grand-parents, unmarried sisters, pregnant sister in laws and 3 year old children. Some falsely accused parents, sisters and even husbands have committed suicide after time in jail. The most well known case of false dowry accusations is that of the benevolent Ambavati Family from New York. Currently, there is no law or way for the husband and his relatives to escape harassment from the police, courts and the wife, if she looses tolerance and respect for other's emotions. Also, since in laws are deeply resented, the bride's vindictive drive is molded by her parents based on their knowledge of this section for their own mundane selfish reasons. It is estimated that about 25,000 dowry cases are filed in India every year, 65 percent are dismissed by the courts because they are blatantly false and the rest are settled out of court after the wife or her parent’s monetary demands have been met. There is strong affirmation from several judges and the Malimath committee that this section needs amendments i.e., bailable, compoundable and apply to husband, before it inflicts irreparable damage to the institution of marriage. In the ‘High Court of Karnataka’s judgment, Crl.A. no. 589 of 2003, made on 4-9-2003, case of M.F.Saldhana and M.S. Rajendra Prasad JJ, the Judge stated that in about 45 percent cases prosecution is thoroughly unjustified. There are other rulings from different parts of the country where Judges have questioned the Law commission of India’s decision to keep this Section in its same form, eg., MANU/AP/0979/2002, Ms. Saritha vs. Ramachandra. It does not cost anything to file a 498A, and there is no penalty or even a fine for filing a false dowry complaint. Some wives and in-laws are even resorting to the misuse of 498A if the US citizen is unable to sponsor the entire family to come live in the USA. The US Department of State has already posted a warning for its citizens at 'DOWRY/VISA DEMANDS' in the section about traveling to India for marriage, retrospectively, to avoid 498A. Please read about the misuse of 498A on Google by searching for '498A.org', 'India 498A' and also, http://indiatogether.org/2004/mar/law-sect498a.htm Raj 8/26/2006 In the most obvious case of false dowry accusations - where the philanthropic and wealthy Ambati family from New York were accused of demanding a dowry of 1,200 US dollars by their daughter-in-law Archana and her father Mr. Nanda, a former honorary Home Guards Commandant of Karnataka, India. Because of the Nanda’s legal connections and political manipulations with the help of the women’s support groups, there was a complete lack of public outrage over the leniency shown to the Nandas who had filed the false dowry accusations in an attempt to extort 500,000 US dollars from the Ambatis. After being found guilty of such an outrageous deception, they were not even penalized. Although, there had been no public outcry at the leniency shown to the Nandas, there however was an outcry in the last New Delhi High Court case in which a woman was charged with making malevolent and baseless dowry accusations to have even a child sent to jail. That was from the women’s support groups, denouncing the fact that "This case will deter genuine dowry victims from reporting abuse." The illogic was breath-taking, for we rightly reserve particular opprobrium for dowry seekers. But by making light of the false dowry accusation, women's groups are trivializing dowry itself. You cannot debase a currency for some of the time; once debased, it stays debased. False dowry allegations, however, are about power, for they mobilize the proper revulsion society feels about the crime against the unfortunate target. So we should protect the powerful societal taboo on dowry by treating those who falsely allege dowry abuse with the severity with which we treat dowry seekers. That is the least the true dowry victims deserve. Certainly people such as the Nandas who go to such extraordinary lengths to subvert legal and cultural taboos against dowry for their own purposes should be severely punished. Not even a day’s sentence for such an elaborate ruse is a bad joke. Madhu Kishwar, a women’s rights activist says that even if there is some misuse of the dowry laws, she condones it. However, what if the law was misused against her own male relatives. Brinda Karat, the former General Secretary of the All India Democratic Womens’ Association AIDWA thinks that the misuse of 498A is of insignificant consequence as men need to pay for all the wrongs done over the centuries to women and if there is any attempt to dilute the dowry laws, her 50 lakh followers will take to the streets in India. Senior Advocate Indira Jaising who is very active on women’s issues says that there is some misuse of 498A but that is irrelevant. The NCW chairperson Poornima Advani admits that the dowry laws are being misused, but when the NCW chairperson was asked why no action has been taken against those giving dowry, she replied: "We must remember that it is the poverty stricken people who are the main victims”. If that is really the case, Indian society needs to answer an important question: "Why are dowry accusations almost non-existent among these poverty stricken people, and the communities and professions where dowry is a traditional, and why is it that most such and obviously false accusations come from educated, modern and liberated families with political and legal connections?" In a recent interview with HindustanTimes.com, Shobhaa Dé said: “Marriage as an institution is under threat. People are questioning the rules of the game and asking themselves whether they need marriage at all. There is no 'perfect recipe' for marriage. Each couple has to arrive at their own formula - and that takes years. The single most important ingredient in this recipe is 'love'. Without that, there is nothing. Men and women, who cheat, will always cheat. There is no gender difference. Of course, women today have more opportunities to stray than ever before”. Sexual encounters are mere handshakes and changing partners is as easy as changing a dress. Tolerance is virtually non-existent in the current generation, and this is resulting in the high divorce rate. The Ambati case is a prime example of how the Dowry Laws can be abused by unscrupulous families to extort money from innocent families, especially NRIs and other well-to-do Indians. The institution of marriage is under threat along with the future of our families and children. All god-fearing people, NRI and the human rights organizations, the Indian government and the leaders of the civilized world should take notice of the growing epidemic of false dowry harassment cases filed against innocent Indian families and NRIs and take steps to curb the spiraling abuse of this law. Abhra Roychowdhury 8/26/2006 Many of the articles and write-ups in the MOIA website, including ‘FAILED AND FRAUDULENT MARRIAGES” are surprisingly biased against NRI husbands, lacking statistical data support and exhibiting an absolute disregard towards problems faced by NRI married males overseas. The Ministry website is frustratingly ignorant of the fact that domestic abuse overseas and in connection, elder abuse at the hands of Indian married women in India is rampant and increasing. Adding to the problem is the rampant misuse of IPC 498A where usual marital discord are almost always given a tag of dowry harassment and is used to blackmail and torture NRI husbands and their old parents in India. The relative higher income of NRI males aggravates the problem as they are ripe targets for blackmailing and financial harassment and exploitation. Misuse of IPC 498A – correctly referred to as “Legal Terrorism” by the Honorable Supreme Court of India, violates human rights squarely - and is contradictory to the norms of a civilized world society that India strives to be part of. The Ministry shows no concern towards its non-resident married male citizens, and makes no allusion to the misuse of IPC 498A, which is as unfortunate as shameful on the part of the people responsible for maintaining the website content. The opinions of the Ministry on this website shockingly and unilaterally portray a dismal picture of the character of NRI husbands. The contents of the website are biased, fail to identify real issues of NRI’s, including the mental and financial torture stemming from false allegations through IPC 498A misuse. The article has no regard for the respect or concern for the plight of NRI husbands in the US and their old parents in India, at the hands of business-minded, dishonest wives and in-laws who use IPC 498A as a blackmailing instrument. The U.S. State Department recognizes this problem, as proven by their travel advisory against rampant blackmail by Indian women using “false dowry harassment claims”. It is sad at this backdrop that our own Government-sponsored website shows no intention of recognizing this serious problem or providing any solace or support for NRI victims of false allegations under IPC 498A. Sarfran 8/26/2006 Since times immemorial, there have been good and bad men and women. If somebody wants to say that all Indian women are good and all Indian men are bad, then they have to explain how an Indian woman born into a corrupt family will be a goddess whereas her brother who shares the same genes will be a demon. Similarly, despite the MOIA and the Women's unions issueing statements to the effect that all NRI men are demons, we know that the morals of the NRIs cannot be any worse than that of anybody else in the country that they live in. The majority of Indians who left India did so because they did not have the connections to make it good in India and also because they were unable to deal with the corruption. The same Indians made it good abroad despite all odds. If India now wants to label all the NRIs who are wealthier than the average Indian and who worked hard to remmit all their earnings back to India as being corrupt, then India should have been corruptionfree by now. However, we know that is not true because corruption is rampant in India. Deepak 8/26/2006 Dear Sir, Troubled Marriages are quite common in every country across the world. But India is the only country where a bride can challenge the in-laws with a criminal case aka Dowry Harassment if they donot agree for her whims and fancies. I am going thru such a troubled marriage and my parents were harassed and humiliated by her parents for no fault of theirs. This has resulted in enormous distress and emotional turnoil in my joint family. The very esistence of the 498a needs to be questioned or adequate protective measures should be provided so that unscrupulous women do not use this law for their own personal gain. Sahi 8/27/2006 NEVER did I ever think that it would happen to Vishal, who was the most considerate, polite and subservient of husbands. I thought Vishal and Revati’s marriage had a good foundation solely because of Vishal's upbringing. Vishal came from a loving and stable family whereas Revati's paternal and maternal families were dysfunctional with a history of extramarital affairs, divorces and polygamy. Since before the marriage, Vishal had a beautiful home in the country, a good professional career, and was well respected by his peers. Vishal had never thought that Revati had used her marriage with him just to come to the USA. Revati’s plans to obtain US qualifications went nowhere, as she had been unable to clear her qualifying exams despite Vishal paying for the exams and the coaching class fees several times over. However, Vishal was very supportive, and not once did he have anything negative to say to Revati. At Revati's behest, they had started socializing with a new couple whose husband worked with Vishal - they all worked at the same company. They would dine together. Go to the movies together. Partied together. One night Vishal and Revati were at this couple’s house at a party and something just didn't seem right to Vishal. You know, after being with someone for 2 years it is like sixth sense. Vishal’s colleague and Revati were giggling like little teenagers. Vishal thought he was going to lose his mind. The morning after the party, Vishal got up early and went on to his computer. He started checking the history and low and behold, he found numerous email accounts that he had no idea about. So he started trying to crack the passwords. One should never use a password that is your pet name. Too easy. Vishal couldn't believe his eyes. He was devastated. Well, more than two years of Vishal’s life had gone by and he loved Revati very much despite all her faults. He did not want to lose her, and wanted to be as understanding as possible despite Revati repeatedly calling him an asshole and calling his parents pure bastards when they visited. Vishal lost 30 pounds in one month. The next month was pure hell. Vishal found over 100 emails to and from Revati to his colleague. Vishal had no idea that Revati had known this guy since college and that they had been lovers. Revati had always told Vishal that she was going mall shopping with her female friends. She always came home with packages and some dinner for Vishal. Why would Vishal have any doubt where she was? Suddenly, Revati disappeared one day leaving him a note to say that she wanted to be on her own for some time. She had cleaned out his bank account and taken all her jewelry and passport with her. Vishal was devastated and called all of Revati’s friends that he could think of to ask if they knew where she might have gone. None of Revati’s friends had any answers for him because they were busy covering up for Revati’s misdeeds. The next morning brought Vishal’s friends to his door, telling him 'stories' they had heard about Revati and this guy, how she had gone to this guy’s house the evening before because she was pregnant with this guy’s child. Revati wanted this guy to dump his wife, and marry her. However, this guy refused, he told Revati to stop lying and pushed her out of his house. Why did they not tell him before? Did they not want to hurt his feelings? I guess if Vishal was in their shoes he would have kept his mouth shut too. It appears that Revati had first gone to her girlfriend’s house and this lady suggested that Revati make a quick trip to India to file a 498A case against Vishal such that she could then get all she wanted from him. However, although Revati knew that the Indian legal and policical system was designed to help women like her get away with all their lies and frauds, she was concerned Vishal might find out about the pregnancy that had resulted from her extra-marital affair, file a case against her for adultery and ask for a paternity test. Knowing that her boyfriend had already rejected her, where would she go after that? Unlike the Indian legal system, the US legal system was smart enough to figure out eventually if she were lying and making false accusations. Therefore, Revati went to her aunt in Canada such that she could abort the evidence of her extramarital affair. Revati called this girlfriend after she reached Canada. After the abortion, Revati was strong at times and sometimes she used to cry. She was feeling lonely and lost because she did not know how to approach Vishal. However, Vishal called her instead and told her that she could take her time to get over everything and he would be waiting for her. After the money that she had taken from Vishal’s account ran out, Revati’s aunt suggested she take up a job. However, Revati found a job in a store too lowly, and beneath her. Therefore, she returned to Vishal. I still think about it everyday. Some days it is like it never happened and other days it is in living color. I still can't believe that Revati behaved so badly with Vishal and he being the perfect gentleman turned and offered the other cheek. Well, Revati has moved back with Vishal now. I guess they are together now. Vishal and I still meet periodically to get our sorrow off our chests. Hopefully, Revati will learn to love again and not will betray Vishal’s trust again. However, Vishal was lucky that Revati did not file a false 498A case against him. However, he will never forget the pain that adultery causes. He will live with that every day of his life now. Shame on women like Revati who abuse their spouses, make innocent men out to be the abusers and themselves as the victims, and then expect the husband to bend over backwards because as per Indian law, only the man can be held responsible for adultery. Raj 8/27/2006 Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters in Ajmer "Laws like POTA are not required. The communal forces who have been demanding statutes similar to POTA and TADA must be knowing such laws cannot prevent recurrence of terror attacks like the ones on Parliament, Akshardham Temple in Gujarat and Red Fort." On BJP's demand for a specific anti-terror law, he said the existing laws along with the amendments made and the security forces were sufficient to deal with terrorism, which, according to him, took root in the country in 1984. It is not only statutes like POTA and TADA that have failed to prevent what they were supposed to prevent but also a draconian law called 498A that was created in an attempt to curb dowry harassment amongst the poor in the villages. This so called dowry law has failed miserably because in our corrupt system the poor do not have the means to use this law, and the big givers and takers of dowry get away because of their legal and political connection, whereas, the corrupt middle class families of some abusive wives are harassing the innocent by misusing 498A. The Supreme Court has labeled the misuse of this dowry law as ‘legal terrorism’. We realize that the government will not amend this law for fear of losing the support of the communist party and the women’s unions that have already threatened the legal and political system with dire consequences. Nevertheless, the country most certainly needs a law to deal with this legal terrorism by the abusive wives from corrupt middle class families. Prem 8/27/2006 Dear Sir, Representing Indian women who come to US using Indian men as a gateway , as Goddess is totally wrong. When the whole world is changing and when NRI guys are making proud, there are some bad people who create a bad image about us. Guys working here for the last few years , working and studying hard really doesnt need their money unless when they want to fulfil their extra desires. For every incident , either good or bad, a woman is definitly behind it...I THINK EVERYONE AGREES IT. Many guys who go to India to marry a good girl end up in seeing a different personality after they land here. We work hard to make a living not to satisfy their desires. PLEASE CHANGE THE IDEA THAT ALL WOMEN ARE GOOD. Even Indian History will tell us, MAHABHARATHA wouldnt have happened if Draupathi is not there. PLEASE SEE THE FACTS before making a decision. IT MAKE BE EASY to destruct a life, constructing is difficult, which you may be knowing. I hope this will change soon. AND TORTURING OLD PEOPLE AND PARENTS is not good.HOPE THE GOVT WILL REALISE. Sarfran 8/27/2006 Power-babes’ booby trap, The Sexes From The Week, Author - Shobhaa De "Marriage today has become an extortion racket." These were the shocked words of a young man whose best friend had just about managed to extract himself from a messy divorce. His bride of two months had walked out of the marriage, and walked straight into a cop station. She had accused her newly-minted husband of being a "known homosexual" who had tricked her into marriage. She had also hurled other charges—dowry demands, physical abuse and mental harassment. Canny lawyers hired by her had given full assurance of winning the case and getting a fat package by way of damages. The person talking to me said, "This is the newest racket in certain circles. Pretty ambitious girls from so-called good families conduct a detailed research on rich bachelors in the marriage market. They then go about attracting their attention by being at the same parties. Often, hi-profile society ladies play a significant role in 'fixing up' these dates - for a discreet gift or two. Once the bakra is phasaao-ed, it is a cake walk. By then enough page 3 interest has been generated and it becomes a prestige issue. Wedding dates are announced in style, and all goes according to plan. The ‘homosexual’ angle is slightly new. In the entertainment business, there are quite a few gay millionaires who exert a lot of clout. Since they refuse to come out of the closet and keep up the pretence of being straight, at some stage in their lives, it becomes important to acquire a wife—mainly to get anxious parents off their backs. These predatory women are only too happy to step in and oblige. All the while pretending they don’t know the man’s preference - even if the entire world does. The marriage is conducted with all the traditional dhoom-dhamaka, even as guests openly speculate and snigger about the groom’s sexuality. The bride plays her role to perfection, behaving like a coy, naive vestal virgin. Then comes the wedding night drama. Nothing happens. The man feigns fatigue and begs off. The girl picks up her cell phone and hits all the pre-planned buttons. News of the no-can-do groom gets out before dawn. He is humiliated and angry. His family goes into deep shock. The girl threatens exposure via her pals in the media. It is either that or a juicy settlement. The man promptly agrees to pay up. As easy as pie. The dowry-angle is catching on even more rapidly. And it isn’t uneducated, under-privileged women who are rushing to the cops. The new dowry "victim" in urban India is a power-babe. She wants it all—the house, car, jewels. And if the man resists or refuses to play instant ball, off she goes to the nearest police station, with a long list of complaints. If the husband digs his heels in and decides to fight her in court, she pulls out the 'morcha' card. She goes to any listed 'mahila' organisation and insists on volunteers embarrassing the man at his work-place. She starts an aggressive campaign against him on the Internet. She sends details about their differences to all the people in her address book. If that doesn’t get him to "cooperate", she steps up her demand and her vilification propaganda. But first she gets the cops to pick him up and call him for questioning. If the cops are friendly and she has arranged for their 'chai-pani', they take to calling the poor boy at odd time and demanding his presence for "further questioning". They tell him all that he is likely to lose if he goes to court. They ask him to produce the items listed in the wife’s petition, most of which doesn’t exist. If he fails to do so, they threaten him by insinuating worse things to come. The word "lock up" is mentioned just a few times to drive the point home. If the man pales or looks visibly agitated, they know they have won half the battle. The wife shows up with a lawyer and offers to settle matters 'amicably', which means, she is prepared to 'forego' some of her more absurd demands. The guy is finally cornered. And ready to cut a deal. It is all over in under two months, if the women plays her cards well. She walks away with a large chunk of his assets. While he’s left cursing his fate and far poorer. Vijay 8/27/2006 Being an indian this article was very biased and one sided against NRI's, the dowry law in india is already being misused and women from india actually complain to the corrupt indian police when their prospective husbands go abroad to make a living.The law 498A is such that arrest warrants are issued for the whole husbands family without proof, this means selfimposed exile or pay huge black mail amounts and attiain freedom from the wife. the 'abondened brides is a myth and there is the flipside that girls form india come to foreign shores marriage does not last as they plead domestic violence and get their permanent residency and monthly maintencance and then go back to india marry their boyfriends and bring them over. Please refer to Home Office statisitcs for these cases and why the home office few years ago increased permanet residency form one year to two years, finally if you read american embassy guideleines they highlight it to their USA citizens that false dowry cases are registered and for the person marrying abroad to be aware of this.I have suffered personally at these false calims despite having been divorced 3 years before the allegation was made and registered, that is how corrupt indian police force and officials am as I am just one person in a sea of cases. thank you kindly for reading Rudolph 8/28/2006 My Advice to all Indian men, not to marry Indian girls. Because India has eunuchs laws which may land you and your whole Family without any mistake of yours. As per rules no one will listen to you if you are man. Law always thinks women as a victim, even she murders her husband, and they say she did it in her defense. Not only will that Even she is prostitute law give child custody to women. And there are many women favored laws/ curtsy NCW. Rape Law: Even man has not seen/met a women but she can file case against him and make him arrested. Domestic violence bill: Indian men have no right to tell truth about his wife, can charge him with mental cruelty, and arrest him. Alimony: Even wife is working and earning more money than husband court give alimony, and force husband to pay. dowry Law -IPC 498A: under this law wife can charge anyone even they are living 1000 KM away with this law, her one word is enough to land husbands all relatives, old parents, pregnant sisters/in laws behind bar without bail and this law is Non compoundable. Sahi 8/28/2006 http://gujaratsamachar.com/gsa/20060828/guj/national/news9.html There are currently 117 Indian parliament members - out of 542, who are charged for criminal offences. Total Parliament Members : 542 Criminal FIR against members: 117 Percentage : 22 percent Bifurcation 71 Members : Financial Defaulters, Banks will not approve their loans. 29 Members : IPC 498A 07 Members : Fraud Case 10 Members : Others Just to hide this fact, millions of innocent NRIs are being labelled as criminals. Vamsi 8/29/2006 498 A is being used to harass, torture and terrorize NRI's and their families. All NRI's must boycott India, sending money to India and marrying girls from India for 1 year. We should approach the US Government and issue to statement condemning misuse of 498 A. Husbands unite to combat wives’ 8/29/2006 Asian Age Report The Asianage Dated 8.14.2006 12..58..00 AM Husbands unite to combat wives allegations of cruelty Mumbai, Aug. 13.. From serving 20 days in jail to living in fear of being arrested, the cases may differ, but the story remains the same for the 50 men who met on Sunday to discuss harassment by their wives under the anti-dowry laws. Under the banner of Save Indian Family Foundation, the men met to discuss their experiences with their divorced wives and to spread greater awareness about the misuse of the Section 498A of the IPC which deals with cruelty by the husband towards his wife. Dinesh Chaturvedi 'name changed' spent 20 days in jail in Madhya Pradesh when his wife accused him and his family of demanding dowry from her. We got married in 2003 in Bhopal where her father and brother are famous lawyers. However, we constantly had quarrels at home since she felt I was not earning enough and wanted us to move out of my parents house in Mumbai. She had been living away from me in Bhopal for almost a year, after which she filed a complaint against me and my family, alleging that we had been torturing her for dowry, said Dinesh. He was then arrested along with his family members and was taken from Mumbai to Bhopal. However, he was able to secure bail from the Bhopal high court later. In another case, Rudolph DSouza, who has been attending court proceedings for the last 7 years, after his wife filed a complaint against him alleging mistreatment, said, We split up on account of her adultery and she then promptly filed a complaint of harassment against me due to which I have not been able to see my son for the last 7 years. Moreover, since the case is still pending at the Vasai court he is forced to make trips from his workplace in Kuwait to India every time he has to attend the court proceedings. I have to spend approximately Rs 40,000 per trip and my former wife has not even appeared before the court once, on account of which my case just drags on, said Mr D’souza. A senior citizen, Mr J. Sharma, said that his daughter-in-law has misused the law to harass them. She was at our house only for 40 days after which she left and three years later she filed a case against my son and others alleging ill treatment. She does not want to acknowledge the marriage but she still does not grant my son a divorce, said Mr Sharma. SK 8/29/2006 Award-winning cop suspended for taking bribe 29 Aug, 2006 1759hrs ISTIANS Indiatimes The Times of India India Article PATNA: Less than two weeks after he was awarded for bravery on the Independence Day, a Bihar policeman has been suspended for taking bribe. Rana Ramesh Chandra Singh, in-charge of Shahpur police station in Patna, was arrested while he was taking bribe from an accused's mother on Monday, additional director general, vigilance, said. Singh, an encounter specialist, was suspended by the Bihar Police on Tuesday. Later he was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. He received a cash prize of Rs 51,000 from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Aug 15 for taking on criminals. Singh caught a notorious vehicle thief, and then demanded Rs 5 lakh from his mother Veena Pandey - the price she would have to pay for seeing her son free. He also allegedly stole her jewellery and Rs 37,000. Pandey informed the police who laid a trap at her apartment in Ashiana Nagar, and caught Singh taking Rs 15,000. Question: Can you trust anybody? Sarfran 8/31/2006 Some of the NRI husbands/their families have written to all the Indian politicians - including the President and Prime Minister of India, bureaucrats and Commissioners of Police in India - and sent them all the foreign judgments and evidence pertaining to their case, but they did not respond presumably because they fear the repurcussions of trying to help the innocent husbands and their mothers and sisters, and perhaps some of the well connected NRI wives' families are using their influence. At least, the offices of the US President, Israeli, Australian, British and Canadian Prime Minister and even the Russian President responded to say how distressed they were to learn about such cases, wished them well, and hoped that the Indian government and legal system would do right by them. Sriram Sundarrajan 8/31/2006 I have read the entire contents of the website www.498a.com and firmly believe what the innocent battered NRI husbands have confessed. The Law has to be gender neutral and not biased since it goes against the principle of natural justice. The Government of India should use its own brains and sense rather than capitulate to the Left backed womens groups who in this UPA rule have become stronger and more articulate than during the NDA rule when they were suppressed. A high level committe of Legal luminaries, neutral social activists, practising Psychiatrists, Judges and Marriage councellors should be appointed to frame gender neutral and unbiased guidelines for NRI marriages as well as review Dowry, Sexual Harrassment, Hindu Marriage Law, Property and Succession Laws, Rape and IPC section pertaining to women to ensure that these laws are gender neutral, unbiased, safe guarded from misuse and strictly conforming to Principle of Natural Justice. Also penal provisions should be included to punish those women and their relatives, lawyers, women activists and police authorities who knowingly harrass, defame, exploit and extort money from gullible and innocent husbands and inlaws and make them lose their livelihood and endure social and emotional hardship and even force them to commit suicide. All this should stop. Marriage is a sacred institution and human society and its lineage is based on marriage. Lets not destroy marriage thereby destroying the human race. Let sense and responsible behaviour prevail amongst womens rights activists and the Government. rajika 8/31/2006 The organisation i work with has come out with a brochure for South Asian women in the US facing domestic violence.We would like to know where we can distribute these brochures so that they can be best used.Thank You. Saha 9/2/2006 Hat's off to Shurabuddin Yusuf Shaikh. In spite of the fact that it was his own daughter who was having an extra martial affairs, he still dared to go to police to dig up the grave, to determine the real cause of death. The Indian Prime Minister and President should take a lesson from this gentleman because at least he had the courage to do the right thing and that too for his son-in-law/Jamai. "Woman kills hubby with lover's help " "Police exhume body of the deceased buried on August 27; post-mortem proves it was murder" "Mumbai Mirror Bureau" This murder story apparently seems to have been inspired by the famous Bollywood flick, Jism, in which actress - Bipasha Basu, kills her husband - Gulshan Grover, with the help of her lover - John Abraham, to stay with him. That was in the reel life. In real, the vamp is a 31-year-old woman, Parveen, a mother of two, who killed her husband, Mohammed Alamgir, 41, with the help of her paramour, a 23-year-old man Vicky Riyasat Khan. After killing Alamgir, the two lovers had buried him in the graveyard last Saturday and proved it a case of natural death. However, the lovebirds ran out of luck when Parveen's father got suspicious at the sudden death of his son-in-law and lodged an FIR with the police, suspecting a foul play. Acting on his complaint, the police got the body exhumed on Friday and sent it for post-mortem. The reports confirmed he was murdered. Inspector Nitin Murale of Mira Road police station said the two would be arrested soon. The couple had got married about 14 years ago and had been staying at Sagar Manthan building in Pooja Nagar area in Mira Road - E. But for the last 3-4 months, she had been involved in an extra-marital relationship with Vicky, a resident of Malad. Police said Parveen and Vicky wanted to stay together, so they planned his murder. "On August 26 night, when Alamgir was sleeping at his residence, Parveen called Vicky shortly after midnight and both of them tried to strangulate him. When he resisted, they hit him on his head, which killed him," they added. The following morning, Parveen called up Dr A Pednekar, the family doctor who had been treating her husband for diabetes. He examined him and gave a certificate of natural death. Sheikh was then buried at the graveyard near Vaikunth Dham near Mira Road railway station on August 27. However, Parveen's father Shurabuddin Yunus Sheikh, could not digest the sudden death of his son-in-law. He was aware about the illicit relationship between Parveen and Vicky and had also advised Parveen against it. "Sheikh lodged a complaint alleging that Vicky must have murdered his son-in-law. So, on Friday, we digged Alamgir's grave and took out his body, after which the doctor's team carried a post mortem there itself," Murale added. NB. If this wife had been smarter and more educated, she would have filed a dowry harassment case against the husband and sent him to jail - legally driving him to an early grave, the easiest thing for an Indian woman to do, and then started living openly with her lover. Disgusted by the farce 9/2/2006 If the Indian Government could make the legal and political system corruption free, guarantee the NRI's safety, allow cases to be filed only after appropriately determining the jurisdiction, guarantee non-interference with the NRIs jobs and also ensure their job security, early disposition of cases, guarantee a better investigation and require concrete evidence from the wives and their families, complete transparency in the legal proceedings, and without fail impose severe punishment and jail for the falsely accusing wives and their families and helpers whether it be the police, women's cell, judiciary, lawyers or anybody else including the women's unions, most of the falsely accused NRIs would not have a problem with having their cases heard in the Indian Courts. Gope Lalwani 9/2/2006 The MOIA must strongly deal with frivolous complaints and prosecutions by unscrupulous corrupt law enforcers including police personals for wasting courts precious time and putting financial burden on public exchequer. . Misuse of any law can never be stopped. This is well anticipated. Therefore provisions under Chapter 10 and 11 of Indian penal code are made.Unfortunately these provisions are rarely used. So the focus must be to remove hurdles; in invoking provisions of chapter 10 and 11 of Indian penal code more particularly in respect of NRIs to safeguard their fundamental and human rights. Preventing the miscarriage of justice, is just as much the work of the government, as it is their work to uphold the law of the land. Secondly If Indian Government desires respect for the laws they must first make the laws respectable.For example some of the problems with the section 498A of IPC are as under: 1. It rewards frauds and cheats for using the law. 2. It makes the accuser the prosecutor, the judge and the jury all rolled into one. 3. It makes all the families subject to destruction on the whims and fancies of criminals girl and her families who want to get rich. 4. It has no safeguards for the innocent. 5. It facilitates elder and child abuse by the accusers without any fear of punishment. 6. It lays down no automatic punishments for the unscrupulous accusers, even after it is proved that the accused persons were innocent and the complaints were fraudulent. 7. It enables violation of the privacy, sanctity and the dignity of the innocent families, and throws the very existence of Indian families to the vultures in the police force, criminals in the society and at the mercy of the lawyers and the inefficiencies of the court system in India. 8. It provides monetary inducements for corruption, falsehoods, revenge, blackmail and extortion; therefore an invitation to the increasing crimes in India. 9. It is a monster and menace, created by the law; and does not belong in any civilised and democratic society as it smells like fascism. 10. The guilty who make frivolous and scandalous complaints or start false prosecutions get off Scott free at the cost and expense of the public exchequer bharati 9/3/2006 MOIA how about also a booklet for husbands . We already have one we can just give all the husbands the right to know that MOIA has never helped a single husband . What help was given to ambatis by MOIA or many of those who were in false dowry cases. Can MOIA tell us when they have helped an NRI file asection 211 case Sarfran 9/3/2006 Many estranged educated NRI wives run to India to file false dowry cases because they want to stop their NRI husband from coming to India to retrieve their children. They treat the children as personal property but use them for emotional blackmail and the false 498A case as a bargaining tools in order to obtain a better financial settlement. In this regard, many legal gurus spoke at a recent seminar on “India’s role in combating inter-country parental child removal”, organised on the initiatives of Chandigarh-based lawyers - Ranjit Malhotra and Anil Malhotra - who had been dealing with cases pertaining to child custody in matrimonial disputes between parents living abroad and problems being faced in implementing the orders of foreign courts in India and our courts abroad. Views that emerged on the need of India signing The Hague convention on the custody of child in a matrimonial dispute between parents living in foreign countries to facilitate smooth resolution of such cases when filed in foreign courts were as follows - Former Attorney-General Soli J Sorabjee advocated to tread a middle path by incorporating the finer points of The Hague convention, 1980, in the country’s laws, which lacked the true definition of the “custody” of the child in matrimonial disputes, Law Commission Chairman M J Rao said if India has to become a signatory of it, the customary laws and cultural and family values of the country should be taken into consideration. Delhi High Court Judge Vikramjit Sen, considered to be an expert in family law matters, was in favour of signing The Hague convention. He said the country should not be “unwilling” to the change and development of the law when a large number of Indians were migrating to foreign countries for jobs. “We ought to look into the effects of not signing the convention. What will be the remedy in the absence of not signing the treaty,” he asked. While the Malhotra brothers, who cited dozens of cases in which enforcing the orders of foreign courts in India had virtually become difficult and emphasised the need for the country to sign The Hague convention, advocate Minakshi Arora said the convention had a most important lacunae that it provided for transfer of the child to a state which had the closest contact with either of the parents within a year of the filing of the case after a summary hearing, which might not be in the “best interest of the child”. Anil Malhotra said the main problem arose when the child was brought to India from a foreign country, he has to be made a subject matter of the laws of that country fore reasons that one of the parents was living there and had filed the case there. “India for not being signatory to The Hague convention is put to a disadvantageous position when the matter is before a foreign court for it being a non-convention country because the foreign courts refuse to recognise the verdicts of Indian courts due to this reason,” he said adding a time had come when the country should look forward to a broader collaboration among nations to combat the inter-country parental child removal problem. In a judgement given in June 2006, CM-M No.428 of 2005, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said: The sudden and unauthorised removal of children from one country to another is far too frequent nowadays, and as it seems to me, it is the duty of all courts in all countries to do all they can to ensure that the wrongdoer does not gain an advantage by his wrongdoing. The courts in all countries ought, as I see it, to be careful not to do anything to encourage this tendency. This substitution of self-help for due process of law in this field can only harm the interests of wards generally, and a judge should, as I see it, pay regard to the orders of the proper foreign court unless he is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that to do so would inflict serious harm on the child. The legal position which thus emerges is that the Court frowned upon any unauthorised removal of the child from one country to another. This has become a frequent occurrence and the courts must endeavour to ensure that the wrong doer does not gain advantage by his wrong doing. Despite all this, it looks like the Indian Government, bureaucracy and judiciary are dragging their heels on a matter - especially those who have only daughters, that they would be pushing to rectify ASAP if it directly affected any of the politicians - as they did with TADA and POTA, and the bureaucracy - that is trying to dilute the RTI Act. It is obvious that the corrupt in the legal and bureaucratic system do not care because there is money to be made by harassing the NRIs. Gope Lalwani 9/3/2006 Now, NRI hubbies victims of dowry laws Meenakshi Kumar New Delhi: They are the silent minority. Their anguished cries are barely audible and their scars — mainly, emotional — well-camouflaged. They seldom make it to the headlines. Yet, the growing number of harassed husbands is as much a reality today as tortured wives. And a sizable number are NRIs, who find their dreams of an ‘ideal Indian wife’ turning into a nightmare. When US-based software engineer Amit Gupta had an arranged marriage with a doctor, little did he know what awaited him. His wife was in love with someone else. Plus, she had a violent rage. ‘When she flew into one, it was impossible to control her. Many times, she hit me and once, attacked me with a knife, remembers Gupta. Yet, he tried hard to make his marriage work, funding his wife’s medical studies in the US and tolerating momin-law’s interference. But it didn’t work. Once her exams were cleared, she went back to India and filed a dowry case against me,’’ he says. The sad irony, he says wryly, is that his wife is working in a US hospital. And I can’t even go to India.’ Similar stories abound across US, UK and Canada. And the victims are software professionals, doctors, engineers and bankers, all victim to the misuse of Indian dowry laws or what’s commonly known as IPC 498a. Most cases are of emotional harassment, but physical torture too is there. IT consultant Satya Verma remembers a call he got in the middle of the night. The man was crying and wanted me to rescue him from his wife who would hit him violently. Today, he’s one of the counsellors at our helpline in the US.’ Most men shy away from reporting physical torture due to the shame involved. The US alone has over 350 cases of victims of 498a — a substantial rise in the last few years, say sources. UK has close to 25 cases. The US government, alarmed by the number of such incidents against Americans of Indian origin, issued a warning to them on its website recently. The Canadian government has a similar warning. What makes the law scary is that it doesn’t require any evidence from the complainant. The husband and in-laws are immediately arrested on a complaint. Families of NRI husbands face the maximum harassment. When US-based software professional Suresh Raju’s wife filed a dowry case, he discovered to his horror that his 78-year-old father was roughly pulled into a police station. I have been living in the US for the last seven years and have everything I can dream of. Why would I harass for dowry he asks. Usually, the root cause is greed for money. London-based banker Gaurav Bhalla, for instance, has been asked to cough up Rs 30-40 lakh by his in-laws. If he does that, they may withdraw the case against him. Similarly, Gupta can save himself and his family by paying Rs 60-70 lakh. ‘Where am I going to get that kind of money he laments. Sahi 9/4/2006 The Sati-Savitri Indian Wife http://www.hindu. com/2006/ 09/04/stories/ 2006090419330500 .htm HYDERABAD: A 60-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her daughter-in- law at the latter's house in Narasimhapuram Colony in Saroornagar late on Saturday night. According to relatives, N. Ramabai was sleeping when her daughter-in- law Laxmi smashed her head with a boulder. Laxmi later surrendered at Saroornagar police station. She told the police that she killed her mother-in-law for harassment over trivial issues. Laxmi's husband Nageswara Rao was away from the house when the murder was committed. She was married to Rao 15 years ago and the couple have two children, the police said. The police said Laxmi could have killed Ramabai after she came to know about Laxmi's alleged illicit affair. "We are trying to trace Laxmi's paramour," Saroornagar Inspector S. Rajeswara Rao said. A murder case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against Laxmi. Ramabai's body was handed over to her family after conducting an autopsy at Osmania General Hospital mortuary. suresh 9/4/2006 The issue of women abusing anti dowry and domestic violence laws has become very serious as it is becoming very common and being used to EXTORT and BLACKMAIL innocent NRI families, sometimes with the complicity of the corrupt police. It is becoming known among the NRI population that some girls use false allegations as a nasty trick to extort large sums of money from thier husbands and in laws, even when the girl is at fault herself. Whats more, the police and other goverment agencies knowingly become accomplices to the fradulent allegations, sometimes in return for part of the settlement which the girl's family tries to EXTORT from the husband and his family. The legal framework ralating to dowry and abuse laws in india is archaic and discrimatory - not only is the law discriminating against men, but it also inherently discrimates against NRI's who are in essence as much indians and any one in India. The NRI community must discuss this issue and agitate for reforms of the uncivilised and backward dowry laws in India, so as to stop the blatant abuse and manipulation of these laws by unprincipled girls and their greedy families to extort and blackmail men and their innocent families. Saran 9/4/2006 Personal Thought: Misuse of Anti-dowry Act RK Shukla The then Congress ruled government formulated a law in favour of women to curb dowry harassment tendencies, over and above legal provisions of anti-dowry Act. The dowry customs existed in India in several societies and many of such cases were just copying the traditions of several other families, in a bid to achieve at least equal status, if not higher. There was no ulterior motive behind the dowries which were given freely and there were no criminal intentions involved but some anti-social elements far-stretched these customary practices in the marriages of bridegrooms and in some cases it assumed the dimension of selling the grooms. Since these social customs witnessed the ebbs and falls of the social changes in the communities, it was considered to give more protection to the women victims for control of dowries changing hands. Normally the provision of anti-dowry Act were sufficient to tackle the ulterior motives attributed in dowry cases of the society, otherwise. The overwhelming majority of the erstwhile Congress party in power, at the Centre, went further ahead to equip women against dowry cases, by bringing dowry harassment law where in Section 498-A was enacted. This empowered the women to invoke dowry harassment provisions not within any reasonable period in life but the provision could attract institution of criminal cases any time in life against the husbands and their parents and even relatives, while the women's deaths within 7 years of marriage are considered to be the cases of dowry deaths. The husbands are always facing the cruel provision of dowry harassment for the entire life. Not alone their husbands, but their family members can also be dragged into the clutches of dowry harassment law without any fault. Mostly the women do not go to the police or court for truthful dowry harassment purposes but several other extraneous reasons are the root causes for tabling such cases like: 1. Inflicting cruelty over the husbands and their parents. 2. Blackmailing the husbands and their parents for ulterior purpose of grabbing their self-earned properties. 3. To break the joint family systems by throwing the elderly parents of the husbands in the lurch when they need social, financial security and health security. 4. To feed their egos, the wives resort to any nefarious means by causing humiliation to their husbands and their families. 5. To take revenge due to even minor unwanted events while living with the husbands. 6. Class conflict in which the working women have started considering them to be upper or higher class of the society. 7. Due to local marriages which create undesirable situations when wives do not leave their parents even for a month while the husbands need wives' presence in their houses during religious festivals, social customs and other requirements of conjugal rights. 8. Wives advocating to enjoy social freedom, flirting, roaming with partners of opposite sexes even by hiding their faces by using burkas, if opposed by inlaws. 9. Banking on false, fabricated evil stories against their husbands and family members by self inflicted injuries and implicating the innocent people. 10. To humiliate the non earning privately employed husbands by those wives who, by chance or by backing, got some government jobs even after it being a low category job. Marriages are designed for social harmony and symbiotic approach in the family for supporting the joint family norms for reciprocal needed assistance to the elderly and the children. But these attributes merely decorate the dictums of the books and magazines. The hard fact of life has changed the social scenario by these conflicts and dowry harassment laws are misused as legal tools against the husbands and their families. Only one sided inquiry and investigation are conducted by the police. Some cases of political pressure, favouritism, nepotism and monetary gain by the investigating agencies are often seen to surface. Since dowry harassment cases are rising year after year, many courts including high courts and Supreme Court have observed that most of the dowry harassment caes arre falsely fabricated bearing no truth, just to earn the property of the husbands and their families and other causes as mentioned in the above para. Several lawyers have sought intervention of the courts for propr relief to the husbands due to this malpractice. It would be not out of place to mention the rulings and strictures of Supreme Court in their judgement published in the Central Chronicle dt 22.07.05 under the captioned title 'Supreme Court admits dowry Act harassing'. Supreme Court observed that merely because the provision is constitutional, it does not give the licence to unscrupulous persons to wreck personal vendetta or unleash harassment. It may therefore become necessary for the legislature to find out ways how the makers of false and frivolous complaints or allegations can be appropriately dealt with. Though the object of the provision was to prevent the menace of dowry, the bench agreed with the petitioner that many instances have come to light where the complaints are not bonafide and have been filed with oblique motives. Sam 9/4/2006 The India Monitor Jan 9 - Jan 16, 2000 issue Vol.X, No.464, p.16 The Ambati family, which was embroiled in a dowry-harassment case in India in November 1995, has now been acquitted of all the charges in the dowry harassment case. Kolar Gold Fields sessions judge K.S. Venkoba Rao pronounced the order of acquittal on April 28, 1999. Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati and his family were accused by his former wife Archana of taking Rs. 50,000 or US 1,200 US dollars in dowry and of mental and physical abuse. The couple was married in June 1995 in Bangarpet, Karnataka and came to the United States shortly thereafter, but Archana returned to India in July. However, she did not file a police complaint until 4 months later, in November, coinciding with the well-publicized visit of the Ambati family to Visakhapatnam. There they were taken into custody by Sub-Inspector T. Konappa Reddy of the Bangarpet police. During the course of the trial, which lasted over 3 years, Konappa Reddy, also the investigating officer, admitted that the police had not ascertained the veracity of the complaint, or investigated the reason for the 4 month delay in filing the case, or interviewed any of the witnesses prior to the arrest. Under cross-examination he also acknowledged that no permission from superior authorities was obtained to cross state lines and arrest the accused. He also admitted that the U.S. Embassy was not informed of the arrest of the Ambati family, who are American Citizens, as per the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Although the initial chargesheet listed over 20 witnesses, only 2 of the material prosecution witnesses appeared in court during the trial. Even Archana’s mother and sister, who initially provided statements to the police did not testify. At the trial these two witnesses, recanted their earlier statements and testified that they did not witness any demand of dowry by the Ambati family. Assistant-sub-inspector H. Munivenkataiah who initially took the statements of the witnesses, stated under cross-examination that none of the witnesses told him that dowry was demanded by the Ambatis. In an unrelated twist, Konappa Reddy is himself now facing murder charges for the July 1997 custodial death of Mr. Gopalappa in the Bangarpet police station. In October 1996, Kolar sessions judge K. Sathyamurthy Holla discharged Dr. Balamurali K. Ambati from the case and dismissed all charges against him for lack of prima facie evidence. Although the state of Karnataka appealedthis decision, Justice L. Sreenivasa Reddy of the Karnataka High Court upheld the discharge in April 1998. This decision was appealed by Archana but the Supreme Court of India dismissed the appeal earlier this year. During the course of the trial the Ambatis produced a tape in which Nanda, the father of Archana, demanded 500,000 US dollars to drop all the charges. Although the prosecution opposed the production of this audiocassette, Justice Narayan of the Karnataka High Court ruled that such evidence was admissible in February 1999. The Ambati family feels that although the courts have vindicated them after almost 4 years, the victory is bittersweet. Although Drs. Jayakrishna and Balamurali Ambati and their father Dr. Muralimohan Rao were allowed to leave India and return to India in January 1996, their mother Mrs. Gomathi was not permitted to do so. Despite 3 separate Karnataka High Court rulings that the trial should be completed within 3 months, the case dragged on, and the family was separated for more than 3 ˝ years. In addition, Dr. Balamurali Ambati lost 2 years of his professional career because he had to wait until 1998 to commence his ophthalmology residency at Harvard, which he was supposed to join in 1996. The Ambati family is well known in the New York area for their social and community service. For the last 10 years, they have been conducting free weekly academic classes for hundreds of middle and high school students. Also, they have established a charitable educational foundation, the Ashtavadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty Foundation, which recognizes and rewards talented students in India and the U.S. They believe that the close police ties of Nanda, a former honorary Home Guards Commandant, were responsible for the brazen actions of the police. The case achieved tremendous sensationalism because of the celebrity status of Dr. Balamurali Ambati, who at 17 became the world’s youngest graduate in 1995. However, little press coverage was given to his discharge or to his family’s subsequent acquittal. The Ambatis feel that this case is a prime example of how the Dowry Prohibition Act can be abused by unscrupulous families to extort innocent families, especially NRIs. They also believe that NRI organizations and the Indian government should take notice of the growing epidemic of false dowry harassment cases filed against NRIs and take steps to curb the spiraling abuse of this law. Indian Legal System at work and play 9/5/2006 Policemen cook up a rape Pradeep Thakur 5 Sep, 2006 0135hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK NEW DELHI- It was a diabolic frame-up, carried out with great precision. The target was a Delhi businessman who had seen a policeman molesting a woman and refused to flinch from giving his testimony against the cop despite dire threats. So, a group of policemen allegedly hatched a intricate plan to fix the witness on rape charges. Several top officers are alleged to be involved in this conspiracy, hatched and executed in 2000, among them the molestor-cop, Inspector C M Dutta, two SHOs, two sub-inspectors, a couple of lawyers, a woman who played the role of a ‘rape’ victim and four more accomplices, including two women. And the victim - 49-year-old Sushil Gulati. Gulati’s nightmare began on August 29, 2000. It was around 10.30 pm when the cops reached his house at Rajouri Garden and arrested him for ‘rape’ in a moving car. He was pushed around and thrashed in front of his family, including his daughter studying in class XII. The entire neighbourhood had gathered, quite unbelieving of the charge. Some protested but the cops took away Gulati and his Maruti car. As far as the cops were concerned, they had fixed Gulati true and proper. We bring you details of the frame-up - some of which might appear offensive - only to give you an idea of how far the policemen had gone to trap an innocent and public-spirited man. On the morning of August 29, one Rajni Gupta, who played the role of the ‘victim’ for a consideration of Rs 40,000, reached the chamber of lawyer Mohd Altaf - a co-conspirator - in Tis Hazari courts after having intercourse with one Babloo Mandal, whose blood group matched Gulati’s. Altaf apparently examined Rajni and concluded that to make the ‘rape’ more realistic she had to have sex with another person. When Rajni baulked, a compromise was reached - she was injected semen of another accomplice, Sonu, with a needle-less syringe and some semen was scattered on her salwar and underwear. She was also asked to consume liquor and tobacco to get dizzy. She was then dropped near St Stephen’s hospital to be ‘discovered’. Sam 9/5/2006 One wealthy NRI husband filed for divorce after he caught his US citizen NRI wife cheating on him. He realized that she was in the habbit of sriking up an intimate relationship with her male bosses at her work place in the USA and that is how she had made her way up the ladder. He obtained a detective's video and presented it to the Court. His wife had previously been married to a low middle class White American whom she had used to pay for her college education and to obtain her US Citizenship. After the US divorce, this NRI husband's ex-wife ran to India to file a false dowry case claiming that her family gave a few lakh rupees as dowry, and wanted a divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act. She asked the Indian Court to give her the NRI husband's parent's house, business, a share in his grand parents' property, a lump sum of 30,000 US dollars and 10,000 US dollars/month. All in all, for starters, she wanted 100 times the amount that she claimed her family gave over the years. However, true to her character, she has her new boss in India entangled in her web. Who knows, maybe this boss will be her next multi-million dollar meal ticket. Harry 9/5/2006 I have written to all the Indian politicians - including the President and Prime Minister of India, and have not had much of response out of them - despite enclosing all the US court's judgments, orders and other documentary evidence. However, my writings to the US politicians - including the President's office, Canadian, British and even Israeli Prime Minister's offices have at least resulted in a response even if it is to say that whatever has happened in my case so far is simply terrible and should not happen to any man. Sarfran 9/5/2006 If an investigative reporter were to look into the background of the parents and siblings of these NRIs wives, they will find that many have legal/political/bureaucratic connections and know how to influence the police, judiciary and women's cell officials. Some of the parental family members of these wives have been involved in many court cases over the years and know the legal system inside out. It looks like the crimes of the men and women from the rural areas of Punjab are being used to taint all male NRIs, and Indian politicians and bureaucrats do not have the moral courage to say anything against the criminals amongst the women 9/5/2006 http://www.tribunei ndia.com/ 2006/20060905/ ldh1.htm NRI woman held for fraud Admits to luring youths into marriage, duping them Mahesh Sharma Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 4 Non-remunerative agriculture in Punjab and the desire for greener pastures in Canada and America are major factors why the youths in the state are ready to compromise to any extent for a chance to settle abroad. This was stated by the NRI woman who was arrested from a religious place at Alamgir by the local police yesterday. She was wanted in connection with an FIR registered under Sections 420, 494, 406 and 120-B for allegedly duping a youth of Rs 12 lakh by marrying him and then deserting him. Parwinder Kaur, daughter of Gurdeep Singh Sandhu of Marwah Khurad, Yamunanagar, an NRI settled in Canada, was arrested from Alamgir while trying to flee after duping Beant Singh, another youth of Momnabad village, near here. Kuldip Singh, son of Nachhatar Singh, a resident of Manakwal village, had accused her of duping him of Rs 12 lakh. Preliminary investigations reveal Parwinder, like many other NRI women, lured Punjabi youths with the promise of greener pastures in Canada. Harbans Singh, another NRI and close relative of Parwinder, was instrumental in introducing her to Bhupinder Singh of Dhulkot and Baljinder Singh of Koom Kalan who asked Kuldeep to marry her. "I am not the first one to have done this. I was deserted by my husband, Gurdeep Singh, who is of the age of my father. There are dozens of NRI women who have been exploiting Punjabi youths at the instance of their husbands," said Parwinder to the police, adding that only a few cases came to light A majority of duped farmers preferred to keep mum after being duped for fear of ridicule. Admitting having taken money from Kuldeep Singh, Parwinder said she had agreed to marry Beant Singh of Momnabad as she intended to honour her promise to repay him money. She said she had stayed at a hotel on Ferozepur road, Ludhiana, and the ring ceremony was performed at a restaurant at Neelon bridge near Samrala on Saturday. Parwinder married Gurdeep Singh Chahal, divorcee, 35 years her senior in age for greener pastures in Canada. Not contended with her lot, she started visiting India in search of young boys desirous of migrating abroad. She succeeded in alluring Kuldeep Singh and got married to him in March this year. Investigations revealed that after leaving Manakheri, Parwinder started living with one Viney Brahamchari, a self-styled tantrik, at Sital Narwaha. A major part of the money minted from Kuldeep Singh was used to construct an ashram run by the Yad Sewa Trust floated by the duo to grab money from government agencies. Interestingly the marriage of Parwinder and Kuldeep was registered at Ludhiana had that too without the appearance of parents of the bride seema 9/5/2006 whether some sort of legal aid be made available to the duped women against whom some case is filed in the foreign country while they are in India, could be possible. VJ 9/6/2006 Once there was a country of beauty and a lot more, People from all over the world flocked to her shore, Searching for freedom and hope for their despair, In this so-called nation of honor and truth so fair. However, the corrupt sold it to the British, The honest souls became the out of water fish. Until the day some honest men decided to fight, And challenged the British might. Hoping to get rid of the White Sahibs, Not realizing that they were to end up with Brown Sahibs. One day this country; just over a half century old, Began to change; love waxed cold. Courtrooms became mockeries of truth and justice. For the right price, the evil could on anybody piss. Blood covered this country's lands and shore. Until the value of human life was no more. Shivering people behind doors locked so tight. Crime, greed, violence, and controlling with fright. Gone are those who fought for right. Screams of pain and terror ring through the night. Gone are justice, liberty and creed, Acceptance is given for any horrible deed. Elderly parents and moaning and crying, Mothers and sisters are laid dying, In this fallen nation of men rendered spineless, By the evil who are determined to make a mess. University of Florida News - Women more likely to be perpetrators ... 9/9/2006 Women more likely to be perpetrators of abuse as well as victims Filed under Research, Education, Family, Law, Gender on Thursday, July 13, 2006. GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Women are more likely than men to stalk, attack and psychologically abuse their partners, according to a University of Florida study that finds college women have a new view of the dating scene. “We are seeing women in relationships acting differently nowadays than we have in the past,” said Angela Gover, a UF criminologist who led the research. “The nature of criminality has been changing for females, and this change is reflected in intimate relationships as well.” In a survey of 2,500 students at UF and the University of South Carolina between August and December 2005, more than a quarter - 29 percent, reported physically assaulting their dates and 22 percent reported being the victims of attacks during the past year. Thirty-two percent of women reported being the perpetrators of this violence, compared with 24 percent of men. The students took selected liberal arts and sciences courses. Forty percent were men and 60 percent were women, reflecting the gender composition of these classes. In a separate survey of 1,490 UF students, one quarter - 25 percent, said they had been stalked during the past year and 7 percent reported engaging in stalking, of whom a majority - 58 percent, were female. Although women were the predominant abusers, they still made up the largest number of victims in both surveys, accounting for 70 percent of those being stalked, for example. The reason more college men weren’t victims may be that women in the study did not exclusively date them, preferring men who had already graduated, not yet enrolled in college or chose not to attend college at all, Gover said. “It shows that students who are perpetrating these attacks are not just targeting other students on campus,” she said. It also is possible that some of the physical attacks women claim they are responsible for are actually acts of self-defense, Gover added. “Maybe some of these women have been abused by their partner for some time and they’re finally fighting back,” she said. Recent studies on domestic violence suggest that whereas in the past victims might have felt trapped in violent situations, today’s women are more likely to understand they have options instead of putting up with mistreatment, she said. “I think we may also be seeing sort of a new dynamic in dating relationships in terms of women feeling more empowered,” she said. “They recognize they do not have to be in a dating relationship forever. They can get out of it.” Child abuse was the single biggest determining factor for men and women becoming perpetrators or victims of either dating violence or stalking, Gover said. Even if one never personally experienced abuse, witnessing violence between one’s parents as a child increased the likelihood of stalking or being stalked as a young adult and it made girls more susceptible to becoming victims of dating violence when they grew up, she said. The survey found that men and women who were abused as children were 43 percent more likely than their peers who were not mistreated to perpetrate physical violence and 51 percent more likely to be victims of physical violence in a dating relationship. Violent acts included kicking or slapping, pushing or shoving, punching or hitting with a hand or object, slamming someone against a wall and using force to make a partner have sex, she said. Sexual risk-taking – the age when survey respondents first had sex and the number of sexual partners in their lifetime – was another important risk factor, but surprisingly, attitudes toward women made no difference, said Gover, who did her research with Catherine Kaukinen, a University of South Carolina criminology professor, and Kathleen Fox, a UF graduate student in criminology. Some of the findings were presented at the American Society of Criminology annual meeting in November in Toronto. The study also was among the first to look at psychological abuse. Examples included preventing partners from seeing family or friends, shouting at them and using threats to have sex. Fifty-four percent of respondents reported being psychologically abusive, and 52 percent said they were victims of this type of behavior. Women were more likely to be psychologically abusive, with 57 percent saying they were perpetrators versus 50 percent of males. Credits Writer Cathy Keen, 352-392-0186 Source Angela Gover, 352-219-4977 Battered husbands might be nearly invisible next to their female counterparts 9/9/2006 Violent Younger Women... In 1986, a report appeared in "Social Work," the journal of the National Association of Social Workers - Nov-Dec. 1986, on violence in adolescent dating relationships, in which it was found that girls were violent more often than boys. Another report on premarital violence found that 34 percent of the males and 40 percent of the females reported engaging in some form of physical aggression against their mates in a year. Once more, 17 percent of women and 7 percent of men reported engaging in severe physical aggression. The most revealing statistic was that 35 percent of the men and 30 percent of the women reported having been abused. Violent Elderly People... Also, in 1986, "Marriage and Divorce Today," a newsletter for family therapy practitioners, reported on a study done by Pillemer and Finkelhor of the Family Violence Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. The study, based on interviews of over 2000 elderly persons in the Boston metropolitan area, found that 3.2 percent of the elderly had been abused. Even more interesting, 52 percent of the abuse victims were men. The idea of women being violent is a hard thing for many people to believe. It goes against the stereotype of the passive and helpless female. It is a fact that women are known to be more likely than men to commit child abuse and child murder - Daly and Wilson 1988 report that 54percent of parent-child murders where the child is under 17 were committed by the mother in Canada between 1974 and 1983. "The Statistical Abstract of the United States of 1987" reports that, of reported child maltreatment cases between 1980 and 1984, between 57.0 percent and 61.4 percent of these were perpetrated by the mother. Again, a 1977 study found that 53.1 percent of perpetrators were female, 21 percent male, and 22.6 percent were both. Note that because mothers tend to have more access to children than do fathers that these results should not be interpreted to mean that, even though all things were equal, women would still commit more abuse. Violent Gay People... In addition, a study in a doctoral dissertation by psychologist Vallerie Coleman of 90 lesbian couples, showed that 46 percent had experienced repeated violent incidents - Garcia, 1991. Results like these are greeted with great suspicion by those who see domestic violence as a political issue to be exploited rather than a social problem to be solved. Coramae Mann, a criminologist at Indiana University, studied the case records of all murders committed by women between 1979 and 1983 in six major U.S. cities. Her findings contradicted commonly-held ideas about women who murder. As a result, she was criticized by some people for this. They would raise the question, Well you have these poor battered women. I said these were not poor battered women. Many already had violent criminal records. They were not weak or dependent. They were angry." Straus and Gelles commented in their 1986 report that "...violence by wives has not been an object of public concern... In fact, our 1975 study was criticized for presenting statistics on violence by wives." Domestic violence is an issue framed in the media and in the political arena as one of male perpetrators and female victims. Violence in gay and lesbian relationships is even more rarely discussed. Violence against men in heterosexual relationships is even more misunderstood and disbelieved. Sam 9/9/2006 Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association considers animal cruelty one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder. If the MOIA and the NCW - who support every woman irrespective of her criminal acts and despise NRIs, would care to look at the evidence, one abused husband can show them his estranged spouse's handwritten journals to show that as a teenager, she used to pull the wings off butterflies and in anger she kicked the family dog until it bled from his nose and mouth and died of seizures because of bleeding into its brain. She also writes about hitting her boyfriend at school and then attacking her first husband. Harsha 9/10/2006 If anyone has paid attention to this forum, they will immidiately notice that some person are posting the same matter under psedo names like SARAN SAM SAHI SARFRAN I bet these are the aliases of the same so-called victimized husband. These fellow in the name of marriage hijack an innocent woman who with high hopes of a bright and happy future follows these criminals in the guise of educated indian-born americans. These fellows having no one to vent their ire after their wives filed cases are searching for forums such as these and posting junk-and hate-related matters. There might be some truth in this issue but what else can a woman do? May be the husband was not torturing the wife for dowry but just may be doing it because he has developed some pysco tendencies, or may be he doesnt think his wife is beautiful, or hates his wifes family, or some other dirty reason other than dowry... what can a wife do in such cases??? Go to the police and say: MY husband doesnt like my family so take action against him, or he thinks I am not beautiful so arrest him ?? - No way Since this cannot be done the only weapon a wife has in such cases is to use the Dowry weapon. I rejoice that there is atleast this case for women in India to teach their maniac husbands a lesson. I urge the Ministry of Indian Affairs to get more serious in these matters, if possible deport those NRI husbands and have them face the law in their own cities-villages in India. Then they will know how to respect a woman. I know once again these SARANs will post using other names, but the content will be the same.... hate hate hate.. they will not change...until they die. mailtil12 9/11/2006 Dear Harsha, In a way you have agreed that there is a misuse of 498a. Let me get this straight. So, you are saying it is correct to inflict the following to anyone related to the Husband's side - including Husband's parents, sisters, brothers, nephews/nieces, old grandparents, uncles etc. 1. Mental trauma 2. Put them behind bars for no reason 3. Physical Abuse 4. Blackmail 5. Extortion 6. Defamation 7. Pillage and the list goes on... So, you are saying it is correct for the girl to get her vendetta on innocent people. So, you are saying even though they know it is wrong to misuse the 498a and harass innocent people, you still approve of whatever they do. Is it what I'm hearing? Chirag 9/11/2006 It is a pity that some women think that misusing the laws or taking undue advantage of laws as a weapon against their husbands for extortion and black mail. People wake up and look at the consequences and the domestic imbalance that this could cause to the people around you. I wonder what kind of women would these be who thinks this way. How come it is been under seen that the misuse of this law has gone to such an extent that it is actually used for harassment against other members of the family like minor children, elderly citizens and women of such families. Every marriage has challenges and there is no single recipe. This doesn't mean using it for revenge and justify the misue of laws. Its not just insane, its in-human. Using such laws and deporting men-husbands to face law doesn't seem to be a solution. It will be foolish to think that misusing laws which are actually meant for protection and good reasons will help to improve someones domestic life. All it can do is mess up and spoil several lives. Looks like for a lot of women some of these basic principles and fundamentals of life are beyond their level of thinking. People have perspectives in life. Its a pity some people knowlingly and purposely do it to serve their own interests. I would be surprised people with such low esteem will get anywhere in their lives. Vishaal Gupta 9/11/2006 FALSE CASE HARASSMENT My Wife tortured my age old mother when she came to USA for a short visit. She even threw my mom out of the house when I was at work. My mom is a simple lady ... she suffered. Then she went back to India and filed a false dowry case case against me . my mother and other members of family who have not even seen her after the marriage ceremony. SHE is demanding 20 lakhs to close the case as she wants to go back to her boyfriend now. She was never interested in the marriage. ITS A COMPLETELY FALSE CASE AS NOBODY IN OUR FAMILY EVER EVER ASKED FOR ANY MONEY. WE WERE ALWAYS IVING TO THEM. They have been threatening to us that they will get por passport impounded.etc DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MOIA. THIS IS LEGAL TORTURE. SHAE ON OUT COUNTRY;s LEGAL SYSTEM. Dinai 9/11/2006 I was aghast at the steps that are mentioned in the website of yours. It is truly reflects the gender bias that exists in Indian society. It is now clear that the gender bias against men is far in excess of than that is required and should not be supported. Marriage in most countries is now considered a matter of Civil law. The steps that are taken by the MOIA would make it difficult for any sane person to marry in India. It almost looks like that getting married in India is almost akin to handing over your life. Does it mean that a man after marriage has given of his RIGHT TO LIVE. The enactment of any of the steps mentioned would mean that without a pre-nupital agreement signed all your life you would be held to the machinations of a divorce proceedings. Failed relationships are a part of any person life. It is upto the Judiciary to make sure that it provides speedy redressal to the situation at hand so that both the parties can proceed on with their lives. Already, the 498a rule has gnawed at the institution of Hindu marriage to such an extent that today more Hindu marriages are broken than 10 years ago. The misuse of the law means today that more people are ending there marriage and it also has become the basis on which marriages are getting destroyed. Steps that have been mentioned in the MOIA website hurts the image of India as a progressive, multicultural, free country and looks like laws from a bygone era. Are we moving forward ? Rajesh 9/11/2006 It is highly unfortunate for women organisations that now people are beginning to understand their deceptive women empowerment campaign. As women organisations along with media are demanding gender sensitivity, people are getting more and more insensitive toward women because they are now able to perceive the conspiracy of radical feminists who are working in women organisations, media and advertising agencies. It is indeed a positive sign that people are beginning to react aggressively against male-bashing advertisements and criminalising male gender. However, women started this war, men will end this war by proving that both the genders are equal and giving undue importance, facilities, judicial protection and societal support to women will only increase the gender gap. People now know that because women have been following the radical feminism - hatred for men, divorce cases are increasing, children are exposed to adult programs on television, and ruining the social balance. Harit 9/11/2006 Harhsa' thinking reveals the level of sickness that pervades the minds of women like her and their families. They think that it is OK to misuse and break any law, and are creative enough to come up with a justification for filing false cases. These are the kind of people who propagate corruption in India. Hardy 9/11/2006 It is high time Govt rises to challange posed to femenists and owmen organizations who are running as professional to harass husbands and in promoting 498A misuse. Husbands mostly hinest are left with no choice but to have their entire family of elders kids and women behind bars or to shellhude sum as extortion amount. Govt must look into this menace which is catching up in our urban society like a wild fire. Please do something to cur this menace which is much more potent and dangerous that any dowry in any form. Gope Lalwani 9/12/2006 Harsha says, What can a wife do in such cases. The Simple reply is that ... Going to Police Station does not save the marriage. Fools will never cease to be stupid. They will try to interpret everything as a fools paradise. Sickening height of stupidity has been displayed by her. Filing of 498A complaint with Police is the first step to legally break the matrimonial relationship without any chance of repair. She is dead as a wife, the day she enters the police station to settle the scores. This is the maximum Intended, wish-full and over-estimated power felt by her under the law to destroy her husband and his parents.She feels that, with weapon of section 498A on her side, she is much stronger than her husband and his parent's family. She cannot do more legally but ends up in bargain, and she becomes unworthy to be part of the family. End result after trials in court has shown that only 2 percent cases have succeeded and 98 percent cases failed to achieve the object. Misuse of section 498A showing dowry as reasons for the dispute has become common because this law; is an easy weapon to use by the criminal, vindictive and abusive Indian wife/ daughter-in-law and her parents, with which the husband and his entire parental family as well as friends can be harassed, jailed, and are subjected to maximum extortion and blackmail. The correct answer is the " Divorce" Why not make divorce laws simple, as simple as they are in US, UK, Canada and other parts of civilised and modern world? "Talaque" in Islam is a simple Divorce law since centuries without without problems. The fact is that, even two unwilling animals cannot stay together without violence. Some families who got their daughters married to NRIs with great expectations appears to be victims of their own greed and miscalculations.Bad apples are always there in both sexes. The cheques and transactions bounce in business every day in large numbers, that does not mean that all businesses are Cheats. However the misfortunes and miseries are the part and parcel of life, which cannot be avoided. The Honourable Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr. Ravi Vayalar has said, "Some Indians said that the Ministry should follow a more balanced approach regarding fraudulent marriages involving overseas Indians. In some cases the grooms were harassed and had to pay huge money for out of court settlements. The Ministry has taken an impartial stand on the matter and addressed the issue of marriages to OIs be it male or female" "Since The Ministry has taken an impartial stand on this matter " the matter needs to be closed with due apologies and the Page on the web site "Failed and Fraudulent Marriages " should be removed, and replaced with "Grievances Section" To save NRIs and PIOs families, the Heritage and ages old Indian culture there should be the law, which protect innocent- Both women and Men. VICTIM of 498A 9/12/2006 Projecting Indian Husbands as cruel is the only motive for all NCWs.As mentioned in the article The problems of women married to and deserted by overseas Indian husbands reveal many causes like dowry and lack of modernization amongst rural brides to respond to the Western way of life, I guess it should have been written in a different way. They find more freedom in this country and try to exploit NRI husbands and they are more modernized than we ever imagine. NCWs with their feminist cries on their face, always try to gain sympathy and demand huge amount from NRIs on the pretext of solving the problem outside the court. Behind every successful man, the saying goes, there is a good woman, Now its time to write another saying Behind every unsucessul man there is a woman Sita 9/12/2006 I thought that most of the messages in the forum were about different women and their parental families. However, Harsha suggests that the messages describe one woman and her family. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrible it must be for any man who has such a wife and in-laws. One man cannot survive all that. Harsha's statements reveal that some women are very vindictive and abusive. My sympathies are with the husbands of such women. God will protect them from their abusive wives. Satish 9/12/2006 NRI's are India's ambassadors to the world. In the past 30 years we have improved the profile of India overseas, we have given back so much to India. It is a shame that the same country which we represent overseas by our hardwork, is unable to provide us justice. We are victims of a false dowry case when an Indian girl, forced into marriage by her greedy parents, lost her visa status as a result of the divorce. For revenge, her family filed a false dowry case in India. All they wanted was visa. They are no different from terrorists, "If you dont sponsor visa, we will file dowry case". This case has destroyed our lives, we could not see our old parents for years and could not take care of them. The continuous harassment by the girl's family and their connections with corrupt police in Hyderabad, especially DGP Bharath Chandra, took my father's life. We could not go to perform his funeral. What wrong did we do? Nothing, we didnt give in to the demands of a greedy girl and her parents to obtain visa to the US. Shame on India. And shame on those who support these women. We're not a statistic, we are human beings. Our justice system should look at each case inividually and ensure that justice is provided in each and every case, irrespective of caste, religion or gender. It is a shame and a crime to look at 1000 cases and provide justice in 999 cases and think that the job is done and pat yourself on the back for 99.9 percent accuracy. The job is not done, you have still not provided justice in the 1000th case. Then and only then can you call yourself a civilized nation. Puneet 9/12/2006 This is not entirely true. Women have been known to play mind games, and be more tactful in deciving men. I know cause I have been decived also, by my Wife and my inlaws. Infront of me they are nice and everything, but behind my back, they abuse my mother, treating her like shit to the point they have now started saying that my mother did not want me to get married,when actually my mother got the marriage fixed. She was happiest on the day of my marriage. They wanted me completely under their control. They wanted me to sponsor their visas and Green Cards for all my inlaws and their kids. I woke up just in time. Now I am being threatened by the 498A Anti-dowry Law. Now who is Fraudulent and who is taking whom for a ride. This article needs to be revised and modified. Vinod 9/12/2006 In our Indian society we have both type of people good and bad. Same applies to Indians staying abroad. But we cannot have different rules for male and female, in todays world both are treated equals and all the more when they are educated one, one can understand if the female is an illiterate one. The section 498Aof Indian Penal Code is totally biased against Indian males and is being misused by literate females of indian middle class to her advantage. More so when there is no death of female partner or any injury to justify that has been caused by her husband. This section needs broader classification and accordingly to be treated. There is some difference between a donkey and a horse. Narayanan 9/12/2006 When NRI is involved in the 489a, atleast the old people must not be arrested and the newspaper papers must not publish the news with photo till the case is resolved. Om Taneja 9/12/2006 Before any action ,as proposed by the govt of India is taken, it is imperative that the ground reality is seen. The flagrant misuse of the provision of section 498A IPC, by Indian middle class, well educated brides, has even anguished the judiciary at the highest level. The hon,ble supreme court, who deal with these Dowry demand cases while expressing their concern have asked whether the marriage laws in India have failed. In many cases of dowry related cases they have found that it is geed which over takes the traditional value system associated with holy matrimonial. Pained by the way all innocent members of the family including old parents/grand parents and school going children are implicated and sent to jail, the Delhi High Court have expressed its doubts on the afficacy of this law and have asked the law seceretary, Union Govt of india to re examine this law and initiate necssary amendments and make the section bailable and compoundable amongst other changes. however, under the pressure brought upon by the women activists and NGO have held these amendments in abyance. While one can not out right dismiss the claim that some NRI grooms come to India marry the rural brides, who are often illetrate and the abondon them, it can not be geralised that all NRI grooms are cruel and mistreat their brides. There is growing and alarming tendency amongst the educated middleclass and in some cases girls from affluent families to marry NRI grooms maily with a view to get a green card and extort huge sums of money. The matter, therefore, needs a very serious, deep and urgent attention from both the sides. Rajeev 9/12/2006 Thanks a lot to MOIA for atleast lending an ear to us. Understanding and keeping in view, the suggestions given by NCW, it seems their organisation if working as fire fighting measure and is not suggesting pro-active action to be taken to survive sour marriages. Also, one can derive from their suggested measures, that they are taking revengeful view of marital dispute and have no concrete suggestion towards providing councelling, rather they simply wish to punish the Male gender. I would like to plead to MOIA, to see the marriage disputes from neutral point to view and I am sure things will improve. There is a need to amend some laws in India which one sidedly deal with marital dispute and favour only feminine, even if there are proofs against them. Police at CAWC is extracting money from grooms side, as law are such, they have no say there, money FIRs are registered without varifying whether the case is bonafide or not, simply to earn money from both side, bride and groom. Hence, request is to see the problem from neutral point of view, FIR should be registered only after concrete evidence of harrasment and stringent action against false allegations. Edwin Raja 9/12/2006 Dowry harassment law is very dangerous and could be used by unscruplous women to extract money from NRIs. I just want to narrate my personal life experience in brief. I married to an orphan girl and did not take even a penny. My wife initially told my family that she was brought up by adopted father. But later we came to know neither she was an orphan nor she was adopted. My wife and adopted father came to know each other when she was working another state in India. They started having illicit relationship and his wife refused warned him. My wife and adopted father left 10 years back his wife and children and settled in southern India. My wife herself revealed this fact on our first night. She married me just for the purpose making money. Within 25 days of marriage she left our home and came up with dowry harassment to extract huge sum. This law is very raw and encourage malicious people to enter into marriage as a business alternative. Ed kumarasamy 9/12/2006 I request at least one NCW members should read my story to clear their mind before punishing NRI by adding many conditions in their report. It is not justifiable to make application for taking stock of NRI male’s account and punishes them. The environment conditions warranted me to stay away from my family with label of NRI. I could stay with my family, in India only two months in a year .My ex wife who was with my two children had extra martial affair with local fellow. It was about three years gone without our knowledge. During this time they looted as much as they could around 11 lakhs Rupees. Once they felt they looted enough money they left my children to my relatives. They absconded and fabricated many false stories to us that she was in ashram and staying with their parents. We knew we would invite trouble for us if we went to police. That too, if any one says he is NRI that is enough for police to find all the possibilities of minting money. Finally we could trace them out and took video also. But family court did not entertain the video clips to be displayed. She filed a divorce case in the family court on the cruelty ground. The complaint was just simply cut and paste from another usual divorce petition. She cheated not only us and police, the court and even the society by hiding the real story that she is staying with another man illegally. The court issued exparte order for the reasoning that I could not participate all hearings and order implicating for heavy amount in the name of maintenance. Besides, for the two year case period I spent 7 months for the purpose of attending the cases during which the opponent lawyer always aimed to get exparte order accordingly he used to say some petty reason for postponing the hearing cleverly to avoid my appearance to the court. Now, I have to pay money for her to sleep with another person. It is very difficult to prove the adultery as per our Indian LAW/Court. This is the fate of me /NRI This is the way NRI family destructed by wife who supposes to be guardian of her children. What NCW will do? Will there be any clause to punish her? This article does not say anything to cover up the attitude of a wife who has extra martial affair and ruined the entire family Gaytri 9/12/2006 One of my colleagues had married a divorcee who had not revealed that fact in her newspaper advertisement in an Indian-American newspaper. Unknown to my colleague, this lady had been involved in an extra-marital affair in her previous marriage too, and had been in multiple physical relationships since senior school. When my colleague took this lady for psychological counseling because of her abusive behaviour and he had caught her cheating in their marriage - he has a detective's video tape of her checking into a hotel with her boyfriend, three different psychologist came to the opinion that this lady had a severe narcissistic personality disorder but behaved at times like a psychopath. Upon finding that this lady refused to go for therapy, my colleague filed for divorce. Many months after that, this lady filed a false domestic violence case against her husband and almost got away with it until the time he was able to obtain all the evidence and prove before the US court that this lady had fabricated the story of domestic violence. The US Courts determined that this lady was very greedy and a cheat and imposed sanctions against her. Having failed to achieve what she wanted in the USA, this lady ran to India to file a false dowry case against her ex-husband. False dowry cases survive in India thanks to a corrupt legal system where the poor and innocent get punished whereas the guilty and criminals with money/connections walk free. Monit 9/12/2006 The data collected by NCW is highly skewed. I have a lot of NRI friends whose wives married them just to get US Visa, and they have managed to get my friend and their families including old parents arrested in India. Please look both side of the coin. Girish 9/12/2006 Dear Sir, This draft is completely one sided. It is written presuming that the NRI marriages are failing because of the husbands only. MOIA should suggest the same to the groom to check for the credibility of the bride and her relatives the same way. False complaints under section 498A of Indian penal code have become a racket in India with active support and participation of law enforcing machinery to extract large sums of money from NRIs and their old parents living in India There are many cases where a newly married wife has ruined the career and life of NRI husbands and put him and his family to extreme distress. In my own case where we never resided in India as couple and she is not even Indian citizen , but I was told that she can still go ahead and file 498a since we got married in India under Hindu customs and our marriage is registered in India.. such draconian laws don’t exist in other countries. why make laws to control NRI grooms. Women have been known to play mind games, and be more tactful in deceiving men. I know because I have been deceived also, by my wife and her family. In front of me they are nice and everything, but behind my back, they went to my parents place and abused my ageing parents and even they went to the extent of threatening to my parents that if they inform me that ever happened between, they will kill me..so my old parents never opened their mouth..till I found that she was cheating on me with another married man..her colleague…and they used to tell me that they are like brother and sister, all along she used to torture me at home and used to treat me like shit. She used to be always very abusive towards me both verbal and physical and always torture me with all baseless charges, as well as she was compulsive obsessive liar. All she wanted from me was easy ticket to financial liberty to herself and her family. Which she achieved by marrying me and I got her work visa and she realized by then that she has drained all the resources out of me..so she went after another man..who is allegedly cash rich..inspite of the fact he is married and he has 1 year plus old son…and all along they kept their affair secret with blanket cover using sacred brother-sister relationship…It was my love towards her..which made me blind and I did not see what was she really up to and I realized all her games…when she started torturing me every day for almost 6 months…that I started hating her and I started seeing things clear as I was no more in love with her, hence I was not blind. So please.. Please… for gods sake…do not generalize saying for all failed and fraudulent marriages NRI men are responsible. 498a Victim 9/12/2006 I am a victim of 498a. Wife has filed 498a immediately after her green card got approved in US. My parents and family back home are suffering due to this stupid law. She is here in the United states happily working. She is demanding 30 Lakhs to withdraw her complain. Would appreciate it if MOIA will take cognizance of this growing legal terrorism and take appropriate action to stop this menace. Also would help if MOIA can suggest the Govt of India to Implement the Maliamth Commitee report on 498a. Savitri 9/12/2006 Women of Indian origin who were not Residents/Citizens of India at the time of their marriage should not be allowed to misuse the dowry laws. Most of these so-called modernized women came from the big cities of India and had lived abroad for many years prior to relinquishing Indian citizenship and acquiring foreign citizenship. Most such women were found to be cruel/abusive, pathological liars and frauds by the Courts of their country of residence/citizenship and some even have criminal charges against them. In their country of residence/citizenship, these so-called modernized women who never accepted Indian values in their life and have the money, education, foreign boyfriends, partners-in-crime, and even Federally funded women's support groups to fight for their cause until the time their dishonesty/lies become exposed. However, on reaching India and while scheming/plotting with their corrupt but influential criminal families to harm their husbands and in-laws, they pretend that they are traditional Indian Sati-Savitris. Not surprisingly, most such women and their families have political/legal/bureaucratic connections in New Delhi. nomoipo 9/12/2006 why is that the failed marriage always the grooms fault I fail to understand. The Indian women not all do tend to keep their past life a big secret because of the social implications. Now as an Indian Citizen can I ask the government which blindly protects its daughters to certify each to have had no past before they want to marry an NRI groom ? and in cases where their past comes out during the marriage would the government give a free pass to the groom ?. I had a bitter experience of marrying someone with schizophrenia, again the brides parents like a lot of things did not disclose this, living with someone with this problem is a nightmare, and when you file for a divorce you are threatened with 498a ? when everyone around us knows that I have only spent money on her and never taken anything, is this fair why are we as a nation calling ourselves democratic, lets face it we are run by female talibanis or we are scared of the Womens Rights Organization. I was very proud of being an Indian now when I look back may be I was a fool. Rita 9/13/2006 Some wives are very vindictive and abusive. After my brother filed for divorce because his wife was cheating on him, she filed a false complaint against me with the Immigration services in the country that I live in with my husband because she thought that I had informed my brother about her habits. Although, all of us are foreign citizens of Indian origin, she told them that my marriage that was performed under the Hindu Marriage act was illegal. I was 3 months pregnant and it almost put my pregnancy at risk when I was questioned by the immigration authorities. My then sister-in-law initially denied to the legal system that she had called the immigration services to file the false complaint and then tried to blame the babysitter. These are exactly the women who file the false dowry cases. Amandeep 9/13/2006 Hi Has anybody tried working on facts and figures. Just by visiting twice ti the lower court I came to know that 95 percwent of the 498a cases running in our courts are false onee's. Innocent husbands with their old family members are implicated falsely and are trying hard to save themselves from the clucthes of law . Girls side and the lawyers try to mint money by taking advantage of the boy's condition. They know that law is blindly favouring the boy's side. Who is reponsible for that. Why this discrimination against one section of society. Is anyvbody takin notice of it that the 498a law is being blindly misused by the girl and her parents to extort money from the boy's side. Boy's side is subjected to harassement and cruelty. This has been happening everyehre in every city and every town in India. This is extremely sad and very depressing....I request the Indian Goverment to give this matter a serious thought and take a look into this situation. Time has come that somthing should be done about this to give relief to thousands/lakhs of innocent husbands and families from this one sided, unfair law. Saumya 9/13/2006 Dear Sir, I am an Indian girl living in USA for last 3 yrs. My cousin brother,settled here, got married last year to an Indian girl and now trapped into Dowry related law. They are respected doctors family and have struggled for two decade to get to this point. They are strongly against any dowry. They bore all expenses for the wedding that happened in India including my sis-in-law side. My cousin and uncle spent a week in Indian jail. I had no idea the extent of it till I saw that in media. After little bit of research I found that there are many guys out here whose family is suffering from this stupid law. Being a woman, I understand there have been real cases of dowry and lots of women had been in pathetic situation. But this law is being misused as a weapon mostly against well to do families and NRI/PIO families comes first. Indian girls staying India feel that no one can help these poor NRI guys, as they don’t have patience to prove that they are innocent and they can bow to any demand we ask for. Other aspect of it, indirectly I am suffering too. After several such incident and it's been put on US travel warning, most of NRIs do not want to marry Indian or Indian origin girl. They would better go for anyone other than Indian. I think they are right when they say NO to Indian girl. No one can take such a big risk. That doesn't sound good to me and I think if this continues one-day all Indian men living in any parts of the world, including India would avoid marrying Indian girl. What would be fate of Indian women then? How long this extortion business will run? I am not as proud as I used to be being an Indian. Here I am treated as someone who is holding a deadly weapon which can be used anytime after marriage and ruins everything my in-laws would have had made in years without any fear of getting punished. I have been enjoying many privileged throughout my career. But I don’t want to become a terrorist just because I have a weapon to use. Eventually we women are going to suffer. How can you help me getting out of this tag? Saumya Ami 9/13/2006 Ms. Harsh suggests that most NRI husbands are from the villages in India thereby by implication she must be from the city - probably second generation. If she is to be believed, the school teachers in the villages must be doing an excellent job in teaching them considering that most NRI men who are being abused by their wives are well educated professionals with sizable incomes/assets, and therefore conidered easy prey by the gold-diggers and vultures. mailtil12 9/13/2006 Needless to say, this article is totally skewed. Thousands of families of being blackmailed and extorted by the gross misuse of 498A. Even the High Court Judges have provided the figures about the misuse of 498A. Yet, it is sad to know that it is taking so long for MOIA to bring out the facts and show to the world who the real sufferers are. Bina 9/13/2006 My son's ex-wife was a NRI/foreign citizen prior to their marriage. Even before their marriage, both of them met/lived together abroad and were domiciled there. My son had left India and lived abroad and was financially very well-off for many years before he met his wife to be. My husband and I are independantly wealthy and had always lived in India and were not involved in their arrangements as it was not an arranged marriage. We never lived with my son and his then wife. In fact, my husband could have benefited from treatment abroad but my son's then wife refused to allow us to visit them for check-up, and my husband passed away. It looked like she, and her parents wanted my son to be subservient to them and benefit them financially. They wanted my husband and I to be totally out of my son's life because they rejoiced at my husband passing on. Some years after that my son filed for divorce because he could not deal with his ex-wife's bad behaviour anymore. After the divorce abroad, his ex-wife and her family filed a false dowry case against me in India because they want to harass my son and me, and take over all my and my husband's assets in India. Srinivas 9/13/2006 Is this department really want to help the NRIs or is it just another ministry in the Indian Government Satya 9/13/2006 It is really odd and frustrating for NRIs to see that there is a 2 day meet organized by NCW in partnership with MOIA about issues on NRI marriage with absolutely no representation by NRIs on 14th and 15th of June. No news about this workshop is available at MOIA website, other than a press release of Sept 13, no information was circulated, none of the organizations we know of were informed about these events. We got to know about this event 12 hours in advance through news paper sites. The exact same modus operandi was there when they organized the previous consultation on June 21st at Chandigarh. All of our efforts to get MOIA to acknowledge and act and understand our concerns for past several months have been unanswered. We fail to understand what is the agenda and role of MOIA and MEA for overseas Indians. NCW has been making only one sided, pro women remarks and maligning NRI groom and their family reputation. Why is this ministry advancing an hidden agenda to malign NRI grooms. MOIA has thousands of addresses of the recognized NRI associations listed at your site. Why did not ministry inform them about this consultation. Please suggest us what options we are left with. This is shame on MOIA and shame on it's social service directors and it's minister. Is this all the commitment Indian Government shows to the hard working NRIs in exchange of the glory, fame and positive image we bring to our motherland. Naveen 9/13/2006 In any falied Marriage involving NRIs, you can't say whether it is the fault of the Bride or Groom. But your posting is concentrating on that these faliures are because of Grooms. But that is not the relaity. There are 100s or even 1000s of NRI grooms whose marriages have falied just for the greediness of the Bride. Do proper invetigation before commenting on any issue. Don't be gender dependent. Because of the greedy NRI Brides, not only the NRI Husband, in fact all the family members of the husband including Mother, Siters, Sister-in-laws are behind bars and facing many problems just based on a oral complaint by the bride. Irrespective of the truth behind that complaint, all the husband side members are sent behind bars. Once they are sent behind bars, then how can you think that the marriage will not brake. In this, who actually broke their marrige, Is it the Husband? NO, Is it Husbands Parents? NO, Is it the Bride? Upto some extent Yes, then who is the fully responsible for this brakeup? Is it not you, the Government, the Law Makers. If any NRI having any problems they are facing, let them file a law suit in the country where they live and where they are facing the problem, not in India. Chirag 9/13/2006 Honorable Ministers and Officers, I came to know that there is a workshop on "Problems with NRI Marriages" being held on Thursday Sep 14 at Thiruvananthapuram. The MOIA and NCW are jointly conducting this workshop. This information has not been published on MOIA website. I would like to request and know if any organization from NRI community was informed about this workshop and was requested/invited to participate. How was the NRI community informed about this workshop ? Since this matter was very closely related to NRIs, I would request and like to know if this information was publised on Consulate websites. Just the way some of these issues are painful for citizens living in India, this is a very painful issue for NRIs living Abroad as they to a large extent have been subject to Blackmail, extortion, humiliation and much more by the misuse of unjust laws like IPC 498a and others. When Will MOIA be interested in listening to the NRI community and the pain they are going through. Rather Would it be interested ? Regards, 498a victim Sanjay Malhotra 9/14/2006 Dear all concerned, I had also fallen prey to misuse of 498A - a law which is onesided, I had lost diginity and selfrespect in the society, my parents are ill treated in the social circles, my younger brother is not getting married due to this abuse. I am on the verge of losing job, I have arrested abd was JC just due to a false complain of my wife who was staying away from me for last 2 years, she thought of filing false domestic violence case against all members in the family. My honest request with the Judiciary and Law makers is that we should give equal rights and replace word woman with word spouse and also make it bailable. Our society is going to be totally inhuman in near future, no one will dare to get married instead will have ill relations with each other which will create different form of jungle raj. This law has benefited less woman rather than has earned a bad name in the society. “Woman is getting cruel against other Woman”. Woman can only give birth to good / wise men who in turn will develop good nation. Other wise if this continues childrens will develop bad habbits / culture in some case woman will cease to give birth to any child due to time lapse in court decision. We should all think on future of generation next, ……….. Thanks Gope Lalwani 9/14/2006 I am U.S.A. citizen of Indian origin I am 78 years old and retired. I used to visit India regularly every year and stay for 3 to 4 months at a time for spiritual, religious and charitable work. Therefore I paid and obtained multiple visit visa, from Indian Consulate in 2001. For the past 4 years, I have been prevented to enter India, due to False 498A complaint registered by the girl who was Married and Divorced in USA by my son. I had even, did not attend their marriage The visa Issued by the Indian Mission in USA in the name of President of India remains USELESS and WORTHLESS due to false allegations of Indian criminal woman who was named as Blackmailer and Extortionist in Divorce proceedings in US Bhagat Singh 9/14/2006 Why have a marriage forum in Tiruvannathapuram whne many of the US and UK marriages of NRI's are broken? How does this help NRI's and theri spouses? I dont understand this logic. NRI marriage forums ought to be conducted under the perview of those consulates which are having more marital problems in places like San Francisco, New York and London Save India 9/14/2006 This is totally sexist and discriminatory. This will mean that men will now have to bear the brunt of female hostility. The judiciary is supposed to be neutral. If it parts with the woman, then it loses its credibility and trustworthiness. This makes it all the more easier for women to frame men in false cases Problems of adjustment in marriage are highly private and personal matter between husband and wife where no third party has any role whatsoever.All issues of any kind between them has to be resolved by them without any interference from any external agency.Police or judiciary has no role till it takes a violent form and creates a law and order problem.Let us not encourage police or judiciary to enter the bedroom.The fight goes on unmindful of the fact that in future the child carries the tag of being one of a broken family. It is more stigmatic for a girl child. The stigma becomes more visible when her marriage is thought of in later years. This is reality of life Satish 9/14/2006 We're victims of this one-sided illegal and inhumane law. A false dowry case was registered against us. The dowry case was filed as a revenge because we discovered the girl married for visa to the US and filed for divorce. Not only did the Indian courts not heed the US court's findings that the girl was guilty of immigration fraud, they seized my parents passports, threatened to seize our passports upon arrival in India. We didnt see our parents in years. The corrupt police especially DGP Bharath Chandra of AP harassed my old parents. My Dad passed away unable to bear the emotional harassment. We could not go to perform his funeral. Is India a civilized country? Is this how we treat our elders? Is this how greedy people are when they encounter NRI s. Is this how far Indian girls will go to obtain visa to the US. These Indian girls and their families are no different than terrorists. Sandeep 9/14/2006 We should abolish one-sided and gender-biased laws such as 498a. There are a lot of men being harrased by women. Will you arrest a woman based on a proof-less allegation by a man? How can you take action based on allegations made without proof by a woman? Why do you assume that women do not lie? How can anyone disprove an allegation that never happened in the first place? Please make laws that serve both the genders equally. Infact, laws should never have the terms husband and wife. Instead, they should use the term spouse. Please make laws that require a solid proof before an action is taken is law enforcement since such actions usually result in great damage to health, relationships, career and reputation. An Indian Woman 9/14/2006 Many Non-Resident Indians are suffering because of the misuse of dowry related laws in India. It is important to note that even women are suffering directly and indirectly because of these laws. I am an NRI woman who was falsely accused under section 498A and there are many more like me. What is MOIA going to do for people like us? Probably nothing because we do not break chairs and tables of ministers and judges like the NCW members do. On the other hand MOIA seems to have formed a happy nexus with NCW and trying to aggravate the suffering of NRIs. What is the agenda of NCW other than promoting fraud and corruption? If NCW does care about women, why are they not responding to the misuse of dowry laws which is affecting many mothers and sisters? What is the agenda of MOIA? Just making sure that no more chairs and tables are broken? It's high time the govt. of India is more proactive about checking these nefarious activites of organizations like NCW. Amruta 9/14/2006 A section of Indian diaspora, representing emancipated women - read feminists in the US, and their modus operandi in breaking Indian marriages This is the first in a series of blurbs that I will post about the growing menace of Indian feminist organizations - a cult in the Silicon Valley, who are responsible for breaking Indian Marriages. It is a pity, that our own women are hurting our women and family, for what just because they can..... An interesting statistic among Indian Americans marriages: a growing number are headed to the local courts., in the silicon valley. Though the movie barely caresses the subject of infidelity, and broken marriages, it is an eye-opener of a world that is becoming increasingly familiar to us., more so in the US. Little do we know how a section of society is contributing to this disease all in the name of women rights and equality. Are these non-profits a service to the Indian diaspora to help us blend with the already broken American society, where wives are normally replaced by domestic partners, and people here refuse to solemnize the domestic cohabitation into marriage due to the shenanigans in the family law court system. Should the contribution made by these feminists deserve bouquets. Is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni listening It is poignant to note that our own people are abetting this crime, feminists who have double standards, and demonstrate utmost hypocricy are responsible in a large way to break Indian American marriages, and it has become a growing menace., and the rate at which it is affecting families makes me wonder, why are we blaming about proxy war with Pakistan. There is a proxy war going on everyday in distant America among Indians, perpetrated by Indians affecting the very fabric of our diaspora. There is a section of Indian women who have mushroomed in the silicon valley and growing, spreading their diabolical fang and silently breaking families, all in the name of independence, equal rights, etc., and most of this is being executed by a handful of tightly knit organizations where the women members are sworn to secrecy. These organizations are non-profit and most of them are tax-exempt. The donors to these non-profits are mostly wealthy Indian business owners, who want to feel good doing charity, and a there is a fancy among their wives to direct such charity go towards needy and battered women. It is a travesty to find them posing for pictures along with a local council person, a senator or a congressman. Little do they realize how these non-profits are hijacked by the feminists to spread their message of hatred especially directed towards gullible Indian Husbands. Some of the matrons and even patrons , are doing rounds right now, looking for a prey, hounding a gullible husband... Their meeting places are typically temples, and churches, public libraries and even schools that are breeding grounds to spread hatred in an already fragile family. Take a look at the publicly accessible family law databases of the local courts, and you will be amazed to find an exponential rise among Indian Americans filing for divorce., and a big part of this can be attributed to the courtesy of our own Indian feminists organizations...... What is the MOIA doing about this? Why are the offical representatives like the Consulate General, ministry of external affairs are mute spectators to the vicious agenda of these non-profits? Why is not anyone questioning the modus operandi of these feminists? One Indian senior official representative refuses to believe that these are abetted on gullible Indian husbands IPC 498a. There is something equally lethal available for the emancipated wives to harass these gullible husbands within the US family law court system: Domestic Violence and Restraining Orders..... Talk to any volunteer of these closely-knit Indian American infested feminists and you will be amazed to get a step-by-step method to punish the gullible husband.... More on this subject in my next post.... And now for the flames from the feminists: who's there Raghu 9/14/2006 This is very discriminatory for women and a lot of women in India are taking advantage of the outdated law that was written decades ago. In my own case, spouse has threatened me several times, she went to India and now she and her family are trying to falsely allege us and defame us. They have left abusive messages on my cell phone falsely alleging, they have indirectly expressed that they need half of our property to divorce etc. This is 21st century and a lot of things have changed in the landscape of modern India, laws have to be contemporary and should be able to address problems for both sides of the coin. They should not be lopsided giving advantages to just one side, need to be really fair, examine the issue from both sides, take real world cases into consideration before formulating anything. Many NRI's are suffering from this problem and have been wasting time, money, effort on dealing with these issues in their personal lives rather than being able to concentrate on their careers and good family life. Please be considerate in thinking about the both sides, people are losing mental strength over these issues. Binoe 9/14/2006 Honourable Minister I do request you I be excused for my below Harsh Statements, I am frustrated running from pole to post with no help and I see me and my family being destoryed Sir I do not trust you Let us call a Spade a Spade Has this balanced approach made any changes to the 498a NO Is giving us the Grooms any protection NO Will endup again as usual giving those Vamps and their Familys more liberties and protect and help them to destroy the Victim Grooms and their Families in a much easier way Let them 1st make some changes provide us and our familys some protection. And then talk....hold such Workshops. The whole lot of these Rule Makers seem to acknowledge that they are aware of it then why are they not rectifying it? Sir, I believe ours is a Democratic Country, then why is no justice being given to the Innocent Victim Grooms. Me in the past have worked for over 12years abroad - including being a CEO at the age of 30 and also working for prestigious institutions like the USAID. Today I am back in India sacrificing all my future, career and money after having being duped by my Wife and Inlaws of all my savings, I see my 3year old Son being destroyed and still can do nothing. Put yourself in my shoes and think of your situation of knowing your Son was never breastfed, instead was giving Liquor today he can differentiate between Brandy and others. He is of the age of going to school still not sent. My Wife and her family have dried up all my savings. Where is the balanced approach and the impartial stand, you mention? Without rashness but with the Justified Rights of being a Citizen of India I humbly request you that me and my family be given justice. Binoe 9/14/2006 Guys will always be treated as Door Mats by the Government. Why would they care for us. They are more or less scared of the Women Libs. My Father served a majority of his lifetime with the Defense Sector even today he holds a clout in the aviation and space sectors of our country in indiginsed product developments. He is been put under a lot of mental torture seeing my condition and his first born Grandchild's condition, wrote a couple of letters to various Ministries none has bothered to even acknowledge forget a reply or an action. I am ruined probably the biggest mistake I commited was marrying from India and dreaming to settle back in India after a couple of years abroad. My younger brother who too was in a senior position with the worlds no one software firm has returned back from overseas in liue of this problem created by my wife and her family. mailtil12 9/14/2006 Why does MOIA have to organize clandestine workshops in association with NCW? What is the motive? Can someone explain me here? While I ponder for the answers myself, I could not help but comment. On one hand, the honorable minister says he wants to take impartial stand on the matter. On the other hand, he approves of such clandestine workshops with NCW. What an irony. Is the Ministry just trying to play by the whims and fancies of NCW? Or is it they don't give a hoot about what happen to men who are being harassed? What kind of conduct is this? Y Bhavy 9/14/2006 Does MOIA and NCW have some nexus ? I am so surprized on role of MOIA on Indian Marriage. Like NCW, MOIA has also started providng unconditinal support to women. The Agony of Indian Men are mostly ignored by MOIA. They are silent on marriage and misuse of 498A for extortion purpose. Why MOIA beleive that such a outstanding and educated person who are earning in Dollers shall ask for dowry? Dowry It is a word which fits in all matrimonial disputes. MOIA please help me finsing a person on this earth who can come forward and say that he has given dowry to find suitable match for his daughter or sister etc. Yet, I have to find one. I suggest, NRI should not marry indian girl till the time 498A,one sided stupid law is there. If NCW and MOIA feels that all NRI's are fools then why don't they start a campaing that no indian girl should marry NRI. Shame-India-Shame. You are building a wrong image of india outside by not making 498A bailable. It is a stupid law, gender baised law and an outcome of NCW and MOIA. Y Bhavy Radhika 9/14/2006 My ex-sister-in-law who is a NRI, filed a false dowry complaint against me 2 years after my NRI brother divorced her on grounds of cruelty. Although my ex-sister-in-law was a foreign national and had made no such allegations in the foreign courts during the divorce trial, some months after the foreign divorce she had run to India to file a false dowry complaint against my brother. In this false complaint, she claimed that her parents had given my brother and her a few lakhs of rupees not at the time of the marriage but over the entire life of the marriage. However, in an attempt to harass my brother even more, nearly 2 years after this complaint, she filed a false complaint against me. In this new complaint she claimed that my father had gifted her 8 expensive sets of jewelery more than 10 years back at the time of the marriage and that I had stolen one necklace on the day after the marriage. Just imagine, if my father was wealthy enough to give her 8 sets of jewelry, could he not have given me one especially considering that he had given me so much jewelery at the time of my marriage some years before that. Furthermore, my husband is wealthy enough and buys me jewelry as and when I want any. Thankfully, the judge saw through the lies of my ex-sister-in-law after she questioned my ex-sister-in-law on the witness stand. My ex-sister-in-law claimed that the necklace gifted by my father was worth an several lakhs of rupees. On realizing that this one necklace was worth almost as much as the total gifts that my ex-sister-in-law had claimed her family had given over the life of the marriage to my brother and her, and finding many inconsistencies in my ex-sister-in-law's story and her FIR, the judge called my ex-sister-in-law a liar to her face. I had never lived with my ex-sister-in-law and yet she was allowed to harass me without facing any repurcussions from the legal system. This incongruency in the legal system has to be changed by the Indian legislature and all politicians, bureaucrats, NGOs, women's groups and legal personnel who encourage such activities must face mandatory legal sanctions/penalties. Ravi 9/14/2006 Dear Sir, I came to know that there is a workshhop to be conducted on NRI marriages. I am a NRI,, I have been harassed,attacked,traumatised by my wife. I have been through both physical and mental torture. She filed a false 498A case against me, and is asking me 40 Lakhs to end the marriage in Divorce. I request u to please discuss on the misuse of this 498A law. Also, please help us we are also Indian,, there are lot of NRI Men who have made India proud we are also good people. Please abolish 498A law which is anti-democratic. Manoj 9/14/2006 Respected Minister sahab I would like to bring your kind notice about dowry hrassment u/s 498A which has been inacted by our parliamentariansof our Country without thinking its fatal consequences for the Indian families. It has really been inacted to destroy the Indian families over a small family dispute between the couple rather than to make any betterment for them. It has been put into the category of cognigible offence where by the arrest is made without investigation involving all the family members of the groom including women and unmarried daughters and all of them are put them behind the bar. Once all of them are put behind the bar by police with out making investigation as prevailed in many of the states of the country. This way, the mutual confidence between the bride and the groom's family is lost for ever and instead of coming close to each other,the rift between both the families goes on increasing which results in complete destruction for both the families. Both the families become puppet in the hands of the advocates and judiciary and they get them extorted to the maximum. I am one of the suffer as father of the unfortunate son who was cheated in the marriage. Since the girl's parents lost their confidence by cheating my son, they started planning consipracy against me and my whole family including my married daughter and son-in-law. They called me giving the news of the illness of the girl and grabbed my property worth of Rs50 lakh by force making me almost captive and, thereafter, filed the dowry report within 48 hours from the date of grabbing my land making the alligations that I had demanded Rs.10.00 lakh from them for sending abroad to my son who had left for abroad for higher studies against scholarship four months before from the date of filing the so called dowry report by the girl's father. I was taken to the Tehsil to get the Gift deed done for the part of my property in favour of the girl but under the well planned conspiracy, the girl's parents managed to get my property trransferred in the name of the girl's brother as a payment deed so as to rope me and my family in the so called false dowry case which has been very correctly defined by the Hon"ble Supreme Court Judges as the "Legal Terrosim" and "Assisasion's sword and not shield " in the hands of girl's parents. . I make a humble request with you to kindly arrange to do some thing in this regard at the earliest by making some improvement in this law so that Indian families may not get ruined any further. Thanks in anticipation Manoj, an unfortunate father of NRI's son Manoj 9/14/2006 Respected Minister sahab I would like to bring your kind notice about dowry hrassment u/s 498A which has been inacted by our parliamentariansof our Country without thinking its fatal consequences for the Indian families. It has really been inacted to destroy the Indian families over a small family dispute between the couple rather than to make any betterment for them. It has been put into the category of cognigible offence where by the arrest is made without investigation involving all the family members of the groom including women and unmarried daughters and all of them are put them behind the bar. Once all of them are put behind the bar by police with out making investigation as prevailed in many of the states of the country. This way, the mutual confidence between the bride and the groom's family is lost for ever and instead of coming close to each other,the rift between both the families goes on increasing which results in complete destruction for both the families. Both the families become puppet in the hands of the advocates and judiciary and they get them extorted to the maximum. I am one of the suffer as father of the unfortunate son who was cheated in the marriage. Since the girl's parents lost their confidence by cheating my son, they started planning consipracy against me and my whole family including my married daughter and son-in-law. They called me giving the news of the illness of the girl and grabbed my property worth of Rs50 lakh by force making me almost captive and, thereafter, filed the dowry report within 48 hours from the date of grabbing my land making the alligations that I had demanded Rs.10.00 lakh from them for sending abroad to my son who had left for abroad for higher studies against scholarship four months before from the date of filing the so called dowry report by the girl's father. I was taken to the Tehsil to get the Gift deed done for the part of my property in favour of the girl but under the well planned conspiracy, the girl's parents managed to get my property trransferred in the name of the girl's brother as a payment deed so as to rope me and my family in the so called false dowry case which has been very correctly defined by the Hon"ble Supreme Court Judges as the "Legal Terrosim" and "Assisasion's sword and not shield " in the hands of girl's parents. . I make a humble request with you to kindly arrange to do some thing in this regard at the earliest by making some improvement in this law so that Indian families may not get ruined any further. Thanks in anticipation Manoj, an unfortunate father of NRI's son Ravi 9/14/2006 This is Anti Democratic. What if the wife desserts husband. What if the wife is cruel. What is the action Indian govt taking to protect the rights of Husband. What is the assurity that, wife doesnot harass,Extort money from Indian husband. Why is it that only NCW opinions are taken,, Y not Take it as her words against his words. 1. Make it legal to register Dowry taken/Given at the tiime of Marriage Registration 2. Make it legal to approve Forgeign Divorce Degree in India. 3. No action to be taken for something said to have happened outside the Indian Territory. 4. Treat Marriage problem as domestic dispute and not harassed Groom's Family and Parents. 5. Treat Marriage as Domestic dispute and make it a civil Court proceeding. Palani Ponnapakkam 9/14/2006 This ahs been long overdew please please implement it at the earliest Bless one and all thanks Palani Gope Lalwani 9/15/2006 The Non Resident Indian and US citizens of Indian Origin who are victims of this Indian 498A draconian law should petition to US State Department that , 1. The Residents and Citizens of Indian Origin, who have no FAITH in US laws and US Justice System, and who are running to India to seek Justice in family matters must not be permitted to live in USA. 2. The Spouse and Fiance Visa should be issued to the applicants after signed declaration that they will not use Indian Judicial system for Matrimonial discord. The misuse of Indian laws for Blackmail and Extortion can be controlled to some extent. Rekha 9/15/2006 As per data compiled in 2002 by Gulnar Nugman of the Heritage Foundation, the 2001 divorce rates in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, and the Maldives were 2.28, 2.6, 4.1, and 10.97, respectively per 1000 people. In India, the percentage of women who were divorced was 4.25 as per Das, N.P. Dey, Devamoni. Female Age at Marriage in India - Trends and Determinants. Demography India. 27. Jan-June 1998. - Sp. Issue on the Golden Jublee Years of India's Independence. p. 91-115. Location: SNDT Churchgate. Although the divorce rate for India in the year 2001 was not shown in the data compiled by Gulnar Nugman of the Heritage Foundation, considering that the Maldives had a divorce rate of 10.97 per 1000 in the year 2001, middle class India is probably not lagging that far behind. The Indian government and National Commission of Women should accept the fact that divorce has become very common among Indians all over the world - including India. Since the middle class women in India most commonly misuse IPC 498A, the Indian government should look at the divorce rate among middle class Indians and compare it to the divorce rate in middle class NRIs. They should then look at the numbers of 498A cases filed by the Indian middle class women who are trying to obtain a quick divorce. If dowry demands were made by middle class NRIs, then their NRI wives - who could not run to India to file 498A cases as their parents are NRIs too, would have filed extortion cases in the country where they live i.e., outside India. By comparing these numbers with the Indian wives, whose parents are most certainly a lot poorer than the NRI parents of an NRI wife and who are married to NRIs and file 498A cases, it would be easy to figure out what proportion of Indian wives of NRIs are misusing 498A. Keeping those middle class Indian 498A figures in mind rampant corruption - irrespective of gender, and as per many blogs, Senior Supreme Court Advocate Indira Jaising has supposedly termed the Indian legal system is one of the most murderously dishonest in the world, one could easily conclude as to what proportion of middle class Indian women seeking a divorce are filing false 498A cases. Manish 9/15/2006 Nobody has demanded that IPC 498A be abolished. But, refusing to amend IPC 498A in order to protect not only daughters-in-law from unlawful dowry demands but also husband and in-laws from false accusations does not prove that NCW is having a fair intentions. 498A has become a multi-million racket in the society and NCW knows about it but doesn't want to protect the innocent. Why? Everybody is aware that women are getting too aggressive and are willing to file a false dowry case to extract large sum of money knowing that the law is biased. NCW's inaction to solve this problem has damaged its credibility. Now people are beginning to understand the ulterior motives of these women organisations, which it can be termed as anti-social. All women-related issues are so blown out of proportion that men's issues are brutally ignored. Tradition says that men is supposed to protect women. Now the situation is such that men are tortured by women. Who will protect men now? Government is interested only in vote-bank politics. Human Rights Commission is powerless. Who will protect men? Is this what gender equality and women empowerment all about? Is this what women organisation want to achieve? to make men vulnerable, defenceless. People are not sensitive toward a woman any more. Now they are beginning to realise that it is safer to trust a man than a woman. Women are only talking about their 'rights'. What about their responsibilities? Is women empowerment all about women's rights and no responsibilities? The status that women enjoyed for centuries is lost now. Women will no longer be worshipped in the family. These women organisations have successfully destroyed Indian tradition by supporting the culprits and criminalising innocent people. ramesh 9/15/2006 I do not understand what mindset does MOIA have? What does it take for them to realize the amount of pain and agony thousands of people are undergoing? Despite being fully aware about the gross misuse of 498A, I'm shocked to see that they still want to organize secret workshops with the Women's Organizations. I seriously urge MOIA to shed their "not in my backyard" attitude. Do you wake up only if one of your own people get affected by this draconian law? What does it take for you to understand? Anand 9/15/2006 if any Dear All, There is a widespread misuse of 498a dowry harassment among NRI’s and nationals in equal number. Peoples lives are ruined with this biased act being implemented and these NCW --Women movement has no idea of what they are voting – supporting after. If they are really interested to protect women there are better ways to do it, certainly not involving law/police into family why can’t they support for ‘mass counseling movement’ and stop arranged marriage concept in India - unless each know each other for atleast 6months to a year – they wont right why-- They want to polities family relationship . Any force has equal and opposite reaction which is a proven fact, any law among a delicate husband-wife-indian family only ruins heart... A marriage with out love is authorized prostitution.. Quote: from a learned spiritual man, if it is broken for unconceivable reason it is broken one needs to be protect it it’s only by warmth of love and positive counseling. As a victim, still writing this in even mind with equal support for both human sexes... Of infinite posting online, here is one .. go to sulekha dot com, blogs, search for 498a Amrut 9/15/2006 MOIA seems to be supporting only NCW. What about Men, and the abuse of 498a? Does MOIA have any idea how one sided 498a law is? Why don't they call 498a as NCW law? HU 9/15/2006 hu Saurabh Ojha 9/15/2006 MUST READ FOR MOIA ASSOCIATE INDIA IS DEMOCRATIC AND NOT AUTOCRATIC ------------------------------------------------------------------ NCW -National Commission of women is actually acting as NCDIL-National Commission of Daughter In Law. Why? Why does MOIA only rely on NCW for the suggestion or guidelines? Why on the other side MOIA for important meetings and seminars do not contact groups like SaveIndiaFamily-www.saveindiafamily.com, Rakshak, Bangalore, who are working for the noble cause of saving marriages from breaking. NCW is only interested in making provocative laws in the name of women --read DIL only because according to NCW women means only Daughter in Law--, empowerment --actually mis-empowerment--, which actually leads to breaking of marriage. Action Required: --------------------- MOIA urgently need to balance its approach and views by talking to multiple groups because India is a democratic and not autocratic country. Sreedharan Samudrey 9/15/2006 I know this drama of fraudulent marriages. If India has got any specialists in social engineering laws, one would know what dramas this radical women organisations are playing. They are purely responsible for the loss of dignity of women in India, I believe. As per WHO and/or any statistics Men: women suicide rate in India is 73:37 in 2004 whereas it was 56:44 a decade back, now tell me who made this responsible. I simply question to all buffoons that where is a LAW in India protecting an husband? do these buffoons think domestic violence on married men is a MYTH. THESE BUFFOONS ARE THE BEST PPL WHO KNOWS WHO ARE BEATEN AT HOME IN URBAN INDIA. Just because of moving outside of this buffonism, and standing as a JUST A MAN I will have to face this 498a. But I will be glad to face it rather joining the army of clowns in India fearing 498a and succumbing to women in their married homes by buffoons. If one look at married men in 40s and women in 40s in urban india, one would know who looks like pale/dull/rotten oily face with heavy belly and mitigating bones and awkward structure and one who looks like ready for national beauty contests or sex show. whereas one knows how western men look with their personality compared to their counter parts? Who made this possible in India?? why men health became like this? who is responsible for Indian men having highest percentage of diabetis in the world?? Are elder ppl enemies of India? aren't they have rights to live their children? why 86 prcnt urban families living away from husbands parents homes? who made this possible? why only married women are living with or closely with their parents and not men?? All my above questions are not questioing Indian rulers to have a specialists to deal with these problems rather CLOWNS designing rules/regulations. I lost my peace, only reason marrying Indian girl. BEWARE OF INDIAN WOMEN. Om Taneja 9/15/2006 The views expressed by the MOIS is highly baised and are not made on the basis of statistics. These are generalised plotical statements meant only for the vote bank. It is really very sad that whenever our polititians make any staement in the presswebsite they have a personal agenda. The actions proposed are highly discriminatory and prejudicial to the husband. It is also ultra virus of the constitutional provisions. One would like to ask the ministry whether they have conducted any survey on the number of NRI husbands who are being harassed by the so called educated, midle class brides. If one where to probe a little one would find that the misuse of the provisions of 498A cruelty associated with dowry Demand has acquired dangerous proportions so much so that it anguished the Supreme Court and make them ask if the marriage laws in india were effective anymore. The Delhi High court went to the extent of say that the flagrant misuse of the 498A is hitting at the very foundation of the institution of marriage in India and were constrained to refer to the Law Ministry its findings and recommendations to suitably amend these laws. one does not hear about any action taken on these recommendations and observation. How can then the mendarins of MOIS sit on their high pedstal and shout that the NRI husbands are torturing their brides It is time we the suffering husbands and families get togather and get the law amended to protect the rights of the suffering NRI husbands. Paul 9/15/2006 Corrupt baburaj, slow judiciary, draconian laws and police that prefers to use force over brain. Why does government bent on harrasing the forex cash cows of the country. Is government responsibility over after making laws. Do we want Americans to enforce laws such that guilty is punished and INNOCENT IS NOT HARRASSED. Alimony should encourage divorced wife to take charge rather than exist as parasite on unsuspecting NRI husband all life. Is it logical to arrest NRI and try him in court for years and discover he is innocent after spoiling his life. When will we apply our brain to do things right and complete. I wish we had learnt something from British. I am ashamed of being Indian Sakshi 9/15/2006 We should advise the NRI who has a detective's report and video of his NRI ex-wife and her NRI boyfriend checking into a Hotel abroad and had indicated that he had submitted these into evidence in the court of their country of citizenship and the judge had allowed him to use it. If for the divorce decree in the country of their citizenship this NRI requested the judge not to put those findings into the orders as based on everything else that his ex-wife had done, the judge was already awarding him a divorce on grounds of cruelty, then he should be able to use that video in India. It appears that his NRI ex-wife is mis-using the legal system and laws in India. If his ex-wife wants to claim that the foreign divorce is invalid in India and wants to re-litigate the divorce in India, this video should be presented to the Indian court such that he can get a 2nd divorce on grounds of adultery for the same marriage that was already divorced. He should also file a criminal case against the NRI boyfriend and the MOIA should take responsibility for bringing the boyfriend to India. Sunny 9/15/2006 Why are the lawmakers turning a blind eye to the widespread problems which have arisen with the inception of the 498A law ? Instead of using this law in the positive sense, it has become more as a tool by women to exploit, torture, abuse their spouse and inlaws. Why should the law be one sided, why does the women go unpunished if she is found guilty of filing wrong complaints ? From when did the law open one eye for the women at the same time close the other for men. Is it the votes, these polticians looking for, in the bargain destroying the very scared institution called marriage ?? We have lost out mother and were not able to go to India for her funeral, we have been stuck here abroad since last 8 years with no outcome of the case. We are one of the many falsely accused Indians living overseas, we are the Indians who have been working very very hard to bring in the fame and glory which India is reconed with besides the forex which India is proud of...and what do we get in return-a step motherly treatment. Bhavani Ramamurthi 9/15/2006 The view of NCW is completely biased and pays no attention to the plight of thousands of grooms who are not only harrased but also extorted for huge amounts of money by the bride and their families under the pretext of a very misused law-498a.It is a weapon in the hands of women who dont have any remorse or guilt by revoking the law and feel that it is the best way to get monetary compensation according to their fancies.There is no doubt that the law was framed to protect women but it is a great pity that it is being misused and breaking the core of the Indian family system which is based on tolerance and love.I urge the government to investigate these cases especially the failed NRI marriages and take a serious stance towards women who file false cases and provide support and immunity to the grooms who's livelihood depends on their capacity to stay and make a living in a foreign land.I aso urge NCW to take into consideration the plight of other Indian women in a marriage like a sister,sisterinlawand motherin law and protect their intrests as they become sacrificial goats in a failed marriage and have to face unnecessary suffering because of the misuse of 498A. Thankyou, Bhavani Mahadevan Rakshak Surya kiran 9/15/2006 Want to be considered as genius, then answer this simple question - As per the dowry law 498a if a gal comes to police station and complains about dowry harassment then the police must register a dowry case and imprison whosoever the gal mentions in the complaint without any investigation. It is a known fact that once the case is registered then the police has to support the registered case in the court through witness statements. During investigation if the police realizes that there was no dowry harassment then there is no way that the police can withdraw. Forget about the so called B report. Have you ever heard about any dowry case wherein the police filed a B report? Police supports the case in court by submitting wrong witness statements and the court after knowing that those statements are all wrong they won't even punish the police. My million dollar question is - Given all the above what is reason behind making 498a a cognizable and non-bailable offense? Thanks Surya Kiran |
