NRI from Punjab Booked for Deserting Wife 15 Days after Marriage

A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) based in Greece has been booked by the police at Adampur in Jalandhar for deserting his wife only 15 days after marriage. Amarjeet Singh, 50, of Parasrampur village, was booked after his wife Rubi lodged a complaint.

Singh married Rubi of Alabhalpur village on Feb. 2, 2012, when she was 18 years old, the Hindustan Times reported. “My husband returned to Greece after 15 days of marriage. He promised me to send visa documents soon. But he has not contacted me so far,” the publication quoted Rubi as saying.

Singh has reportedly not been in touch with his wife after they got married. Rubi has been waiting for the last six years for her visa to arrive as her husband. In her complaint she has stated that Singh had called her twice from Greece and after that his cell phone had been switched off.

She also claimed that her parents spent Rs 6 lakh on the wedding and gave Rs 3.5 lakh to Singh for arranging a visa for her.

Rubi added that she had approached the district court to file for divorce, asking her husband to return the dowry and other expenses borne by her family. She said that two years ago, Singh requested for the matter to be settled with the help of his lawyer. However, he has not tried to contact her ever since. The Adampur Police then registered a case against Singh under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Th government is taking many measures to tackle disputes in NRI marriages and trace husbands who desert their wives. As many as 3,328 complaints about marital disputes filed by Indian women who have NRI spouses were received by the Ministry of External Affairs, and its missions or posts abroad since 2015, the ministry said on Dec. 21 last year.

In January, it was announced that registrars from all the states across India will have to upload details associated with NRI marriages on the new website that the Ministry for Women and Child Development is setting up.

Also, the integrated nodal agency (INA), an inter-ministerial body that examined the issues faced by women trapped in bad marriages with NRIs, reviewed requests of revocation of 10 passports made by the National Commission for Women. The committee asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to expedite action.

The committee also recommended to the MEA in September 2017 that Aadhaar should be made mandatory for registration of NRI marriages in India, and that NRIs who harass and desert their wives could face severe punishment, including cancellation of passport.