'We worship goddesses but ignore daughters': SC pulls up man for ousting wife, kids from home
New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI): Castigating a man for throwing out his estranged wife and minor daughters from the matrimonial home, the Supreme Court on Friday said such behaviour eliminated the basic difference between human and animal.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh asked, "What kind of a man you are if you don't even care for your minor daughters? What wrong have the minor daughters done in coming to this world?"
An irked bench went on, "He was only interested in having multiple children. We cannot allow such a cruel man to enter our court at all. Sara din ghar pe kabhi saraswati puja and kabhi laxmi puja. Aur fir yeh sab (you worship Goddess Saraswati and Laxmi all day, and then you do such things)."
Anguished with the facts of the case, the bench said it would not allow the man to enter court unless he paid the maintenance or part with some agricultural land to his daughters and the wife.
"Ask this man to part with some agricultural land or fixed deposit or maintenance amount in the name of his daughters and then the court may think of passing some favourable order," the bench told his counsel.
The court said, "What is the difference between an animal and a man who does not take care of minor daughters."
A trial court convicted the man from Jharkhand for torture and harassment of his estranged wife for dowry.
He was also accused of fraudulently getting her uterus removed and marrying another woman later.
The bench asked the man's counsel to inform the court the maintenance he was willing to pay the minor daughters and the estranged wife for their future upkeep.
The bench posted the hearing on February 14.
The trial court convicted him in 2015 under Section 498A of IPC (subjecting married women to cruelty) and sentenced him to 2.5 years rigorous imprisonment besides a Rs 5,000 fine.
The case was registered in 2009 and he served 11 months in custody.
On September 24, 2024, the Jharkhand High Court brought down the punishment to 1.5 years and enhanced the fine to Rs 1 lakh.
The couple married in 2003 and the estranged wife remained in the matrimonial home for about four months following which she was reportedly tortured over a Rs 50,000 dowry demand.
The high court said several panchayat meetings were convened but the husband was adamant in not following its decisions.
On June 30, 2009, it came on record, he had married another woman, and ousting his estranged wife from the matrimonial home along with the daughters.
The high court said there did not exist medical evidence to show the removal of the estranged wife's uterus but she supported her allegations.
It also said there was no cogent material to show he had remarried and therefore was not convicted under Section 494 of the IPC (bigamy).
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
