A disturbing relationship dispute has come to light in Bengaluru where a woman approached the city police alleging that her husband abandoned her and married another woman without terminating their marriage.
It reportedly happened in Kalyan Nagar area of Bengaluru and it has brought marital responsibilities into question, alleged deception and how women get legal protection. The woman had been with Mohammed Sadaqat Ali for nearly 10 years before they got married under Special Marriage Act around five years ago.
She was told by him that their relationship would develop into lifelong partnership and she built her married life with him in Kalyan Nagar but now alleges that he has abandoned her and informed her that he has married another woman.
The woman reportedly told reporters that she had been in a relationship with Sadaqat Ali for nearly a decade. During those years they got very close and eventually decided to get married legally.
They registered their marriage five years ago under the Special Marriage Act so that they could start life as married couple together. After wedding, the couple settled in Bengaluru’s Kalyan Nagar area. She thought everything was fine between them and that they would live together forever.
For her marriage was culmination of years of love, trust and commitment but allegedly things changed recently and she is shocked and upset now.
She says her husband hadn’t come home for a month. She tried calling him at first to find out why he wasn’t coming home and not talking to her but as time went on she got worried and kept calling him over the phone.
In one of those calls, she says she was told something that broke all her hopes of reconciliation that he had married another woman and no longer wanted anything to do with her (she could do whatever she wanted).
The woman says she was shocked by the revelation they had been together for about 10 years and were legally married for five years, how could her husband make such a decision without addressing their marriage?
Second marriage has now become the crux of her complaint as she wants to know what her legal rights are and what responsibilities her husband has under Indian law.
Unable to sort out the issue through personal contact, she went to DJ Halli Police Station in Bengaluru and lodged a complaint saying that police should come forward and help her with it. She wanted police to act on the matter.
Police contacted husband and asked him to come at station to respond to allegations but he allegedly told them over phone that he would come to station within two days. She says he didn’t keep his promise and switched off his mobile phone so that neither she nor authorities could reach him.
The husband allegedly failing to appear before the police reportedly added to her anxiety and frustration. She says she went to the police station but was not able to get a satisfactory resolution for her complaint so she approached Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office as she was “helpless” and did not know what else to do next.
Her approach to senior police officials shows that she wants action and an opportunity to put her allegations before the right authorities.
If the allegations are true then legally this case could be important: according to Indian law a person covered under Special Marriage Act cannot normally enter into another legally valid marriage while existing marriage is still legally subsisting.
A second marriage during the lifetime of spouse may attract legal consequences as per provisions of law applicable to that case (depending on facts of case and law applicable). Marriage registration documents of woman, details of alleged second marriage etc. can be important in deciding the legal position but allegations need to be investigated and husband’s response not established in the available account.
The case has once again highlighted the need for legal awareness among couples particularly when relationships are registered marriages and questions arise about marital obligations.
Women who have been abandoned or deceived or in marital disputes can seek assistance from police, legal services authorities and family courts (appropriate). Legal advice and documentary evidence are needed when deciding what remedies are available.
For now, she wants justice and that the police take her complaint seriously. Whether the police will take action against the husband further and what explanation he will give about the second marriage is to be seen.
The Women had been with him for almost 10 years and five years of marriage now. She is fighting to protect her legal rights and get answers about what will happen to their relationship. Investigation and any official response from authorities will decide what happens next in this Bengaluru case.
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