Men's rights campaign targets alimony laws, accuses judiciary of treating women as 'burdens' – Punekar News
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, January 29, 2024: Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a men's rights NGO, launched a campaign titled 'Woman is a Burden' with the hashtag #1CroreAlimony. According to the foundation, Indian courts demand significant amounts of maintenance in matrimonial cases, even from well-educated and earning women.
SIFF activists stood near the district court in Shivajinagar to raise awareness about maintenance laws in India. They held a rally outside the court and received a positive response from the litigants. The claims were filed before the principal judge of the Pune district court.
Sagar Gunthal, Advisor, SIFF, shared his views with advocates and the public, emphasizing the need to avoid paying dowry and maintenance and prevent male suicides.
#1CrAlimony Twitter Trend:
In India, there is no upper limit on the amount of maintenance and it is not based on the length of the marriage or the husband's abilities. SIFF activists took to Twitter to raise this issue and received a positive response with several posts generating countless views. A single post reached over 5 million people, drawing attention to the perceived threat of spousal support for husbands when marriages fail.
SIFF co-founder Anil Murty said, “The situation is grave for men in short marriages as a man who has been married for just six months may be required to pay 50 lakhs – 1 crore alimony. This trend is encouraged by the judiciary, although various women's empowerment programs have been launched since the 1990s.” Anil Murthy also raised concerns about possible misuse of marital rape laws, leading to significant alimony claims could lead.
Social rights activist Sameer Goel mentioned the alarming rise in male suicides due to family reasons. According to NCRB data in 2022, 83,713 married men committed suicide, with 30% attributing it to family reasons.
Activists' demands:
1. Recognize the importance of marriage and the responsibilities of each spouse.
2. Set alimony based on the length of the marriage to avoid a lifetime of financial burden.
3. Reintroduction of a cap on maintenance in relation to the length of the marriage.
4. Appoint guest psychologists and psychiatrists in every court to prevent mental health crises.
5. Setting up a special commission to combat increasing suicides among men due to marital problems.
6. Include the issue of male suicides in the manifesto of every political party.
Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) is the largest men's rights NGO across India. It was founded in 2005 and advocates for various legal and social reforms related to men's rights.
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