Second marriage lawful but is cruel to first wife, says Karnataka High Court
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has said that contracting a second marriage by a Muslim may be lawful, but it causes enormous cruelty to the first wife.
The Kalaburagi Division Bench, comprising Justices Krishna S Dixit and P Krishna Bhat recently dismissed an appeal to set aside a trial court judgement, which justified the dissolution of marriage in a case filed by Ramjanbi, first wife of the appellant Yusufpatel Patil.
"Though contracting a second marriage by a Muslim may be lawful, it more often than not, causes enormous cruelty to the first wife, justifying her claim for divorce," the bench observed.
Patil, from the district headquarter town of Vijayapura in north Karnataka, had married Ramjanbi in July 2014 in Bengaluru as per Sharia law.
Shortly after that, he contracted a second marriage.
Subsequently, Ramjanbi filed a suit in a lower court, seeking dissolution of marriage on the grounds of cruelty and desertion, alleging that she and her parents were manhandled by the appellant and his parents.
Patil then filed the petition in the High Court, saying that he loved his first wife, who is a respondent in the case.
Patil had stated before the court that he contracted the second marriage "only because of the irresistible pressure mounted by his parents, who are quite powerful and politically influential".
He further justified his second marriage, saying that the Sharia law permits a Mohammaden to contract plural wives "and such a conduct per se does not amount to cruelty, nor constitute a ground for opposing restitution of conjugal rights."
The bench dismissed the contention that Sharia law allows plural wives to restore the first marriage.
"If this, in the given circumstances is recognised as a justification, a husband may contract two more marriages as well, seeking shelter under Sharia," the Bench observed.
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India dismisses report of Musk joining Modi-Trump call; says it was between 2 leaders only
New Delhi (PTI): India on Saturday rejected a media report that said billionaire Elon Musk joined a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump earlier this week.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Tuesday's conversation was between the two leaders only.
The New York Times, quoting unnamed US officials, reported that Musk participated in the call between Trump and Modi, adding it was an "unusual appearance" by a private citizen on a call between two heads of state.
"We have seen the story. The telephone conversation on March 24 was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only," Jaiswal said.
"As has been stated earlier, it provided the opportunity for exchange of views on the situation in West Asia," he said.
In its report, the New York Times said it is "unclear" why Musk was on the call or whether he spoke.
Our prime minister only spoke to Trump and there was no one else who spoke to the PM, people familiar with the matter said.
They suggested that it is for Washington to clarify if somebody else was in the room or listening to the conversation.
The New York Times said Musk's participation in the phone call signalled a reconciliation between the billionaire and Trump.
The two had fallen out last year following Musk's exit from a government task force charged with slashing the federal workforce.
The US president had initiated the phone call with Modi to discuss the West Asia crisis.
It was the first conversation between the two leaders since the West Asia conflict began on February 28.
In the conversation, Modi underlined the importance of ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible, noting that it is vital for global peace, stability and economic well-being.
