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Title: Regarding desertion of women by NRI husbands.
SHRIMATHI JHANSI LAKSHMI BOTCHA (BOBBILI): Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to bring, through you, to the notice of the Government that there is an urgent need to come to the aid of women deserted by their husbands travelling and living abroad for higher studies, job and business. Wives of such men are condemned to live a desolate life along with their children. They are often victimised by demand for dowry and other cruelties. The Government should implement a provision to make the wife’s consent or no objection certificate mandatory for husband to travel abroad. The Government can make this as a precondition before issuing the passport.
As we all know, married women deserted by their husbands, who have settled abroad and married again, had to approach courts against the matrimonial offences, dowry demands or cruelties to which they were subjected. Their husbands being abroad, it becomes difficult to serve court notices against them in the absence of the addresses of their spouses living abroad. The system of justice is delayed. Therefore, cases remain pending for want of notice being served, without which the court cannot proceed. As a result, women’s agony and suffering are prolonged. I would request the Government to impose such a condition for issuing passports and regulate the visits of those who are already abroad on Indian passports, enjoying the tags of NRIs and now and then visit India and go back to the foreign country.
The Government should ensure that no married Indian citizen should be allowed to leave the country without the consent of his wife. Those getting married after obtaining the passport should be required to produce the wife’s no objection certificate while going abroad. Likewise, a person living abroad as an NRI should be asked to obtain his wife’s permission within a reasonable period. Otherwise, he should be forced to return to India.
*Not recorded.
These incidents are occurring not only in my State, Andhra Pradesh, but across the country. Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs should sit together and formulate a firm policy to deal with this agonizing issue.
MR. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. I am sorry to shorten your speech.[s9]