A Family Court In UP Orders A Wife To Pay Rs 1000 As Monthly Allowance To Estranged Husband. We Are All For This Equality
For almost as long as I remember, people have used the word ‘feminist’ for me as though they are using it not as an adjective but an abusive slur. “Oh right, I forgot you’re a feminist“, is a refrain I’ve heard one too many times. And this feminist comment is often accompanied with air quotes and rolling of the eyes and almost always misunderstood for misandry. And no matter how much I would go on and on, trying to convince some unaware folks, how feminism doesn’t just translate into women getting higher pay or reserved seats, but is basically demanding equality, it certainly doesn’t translate. Case in point, the wife from UP who recently got ordered by the court to pay her separated husband a sum of Rs, 1000 per month after the divorce.
In a rather fair and refreshing case from Uttar Pradesh, a family court in UP has ordered for a woman to pay her husband, with whom she separated years ago, to pay him a sum of Rs. 1000 every month, indefinitely, for she was the one who was a public servant and at the receiving end of almost 12,000 rupees as pension every month from the government.
A petition that was filed by the estranged husband back in 2013, considering they have been living separately for years now sought for a monthly allowance from his wife under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Since the wife here was employed with the government and getting a fixed monthly pension, the law saw her in a position to continue to pay for her husband’s maintenance and thereby approved his petition for a monthly allowance.
The man runs a tea stall in Khatauli town of Muzaffarnagar and his former wife, who worked in the Indian Army, gets Rs 12,000 as a pension#UP #UPCourt https://t.co/UC2SD3FCLB
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 23, 2020
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And this right here, is a great example of the kind of equality us women have always wanted. When we yearn for feminism, we don’t only for seats or special benefits, but to be treated at par. And in this case, equality has certainly been demanded because if the wife is making more money, she should be asked to pay maintenance like a man would’ve been asked.
Feminism wasn’t about being considered the weaker gender, but being recognised as an equally strong gender. The ruling therefore came as quite a breath of fresh air with a hint of the changing, progressive times.
