grounds for divorce

Divorce is the formal termination or legal dissolution of a marriage. Every nation has distinct laws safeguarding the rights of both the spouses in a marriage. In India, the laws take into account religious distinctions. Divorce of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains is governed by the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, divorce of Muslims is governed by the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act of 1939 and Christians need to follow the laws laid down under the Indian Divorce Act of 1869. There are separate laws for inter-cast or inter-religion marriages. These fall under the Special Marriage Act of 1954.

The process of getting a divorce in India may not be as easy as it is in the western countries. It may take years to terminate a marriage contract. This makes it important for the petitioner to go through the proceedings carefully, which include the application procedures and documents to be submitted.

German heiress Katrin Radmacher, one of the richest women in Germany, has been sued by her estranged French husband, Nicolas Granatino for obtaining a higher divorce settlement. Radmacher, worth approximately £100m, had signed a prenuptial agreement with Granatino before solemnizing their wedding in 1998 in London. Granatino is, however, challenging the legal validity of the prenup.

In most Indian homes, the concept of marriage and marital vows is undergoing sea change. No, this is not Page 3 reporting but it doesn’t mean we can’t share the much hidden, unspoken truths about divorces in India and how they are ‘manipulated’ in courts of law. Here's a cynical, realistic take to begin with: