Some start life afresh, others part ways

Aneesha Sareen

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed in the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Nazar Singh today when the Judge, after successfully compromising a disputed marriage on the occasion of Lok Adalat, asked the woman to touch the feet of her estranged in-laws and forget all differences. As the couple, united after two years of an estranged marriage, vowed to start their life afresh, they touched the feet of each other’s parents in the courtroom, following which the Judge asked the couple to go straight to the Sector 43 bus stand and catch a bus to Shimla and return after spending a night there.

While the husband hailed from Bapu Dham Colony, the girl hailed from Shimla. Their marriage ran into trouble over a year ago owing to compatibility issues when they both applied for divorce in the court. The case was amicably settled at the Lok Adalat when the husband and wife resolved their differences for the sake of their one-year-old child.

This was one of more than 35 divorce cases that were amicably settled at the Lok Adalats today which witnessed a large number of matrimonial disputes being disposed of.

A 30-year-old youth, beaming with happiness, was seen distributing sweets to the Judge, the court staff and all those present in the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Anshu Shukla this afternoon following the settlement of his matrimonial dispute.

“Patch up ho gaya mera (my case has been settled),” exclaimed the youth as he served sweets to one and all in the courtroom. The couple was fighting a divorce case for the previous four years and the husband’s excessive anger was the cause of dispute. After counselling by the Judge, he agreed to control his temper and was reunited with his wife.

Not all were as fortunate. An hour of counselling to a young couple, who have a 10-year-old daughter, proved futile as the wife insisted that she would not divorce her husband, nor would stay with him. The husband, however, was keen on separation. The couple refused to set aside their differences and their case was thus adjourned.

While some of the couples agreed to start life afresh, a significant number of these matrimonial disputes also resulted in divorce by mutual consent when the couples parted ways, refusing to compromise.

“Ego is a huge issue in case of matrimonial disputes and we at Lok Adalats try our best to save many homes from breaking by way of amicable settlement. We appeal to the public to resolve their disputes through Lok Adalats,” said District and Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal.