Theme: Family & Marriage

Pre-Nup

Though prenuptial agreements are not legally validated under religious Hindu marriage law, a prenuptial agreement can be legally enforceable as per contract law in India. A contractual prenuptial agreement should follow the legal rules of contracts given under the Indian Contract Act , 1872. To be valid, the contract should not be contrary to law or public policy, so if the marriage is governed by the Hindu Marriage Act, the contract cannot have provisions that violate that law.

What is the ‘Saptapadi’ ceremony? Is it essential for a valid Hindu marriage?

The Saptapadi ceremony establishes the commitment the couple makes to each other during the Hindu wedding ceremony. Saptapadi quite literally translates from Sanskrit to ‘seven steps’. The couple takes seven full circles, walking clockwise around the ceremonial fire, representing the seven principles and promises they make to each other.

Your marriage is not legally ‘solemnized’ if you do not follow the essential ceremonies followed by either your or your spouse’s communities. There are different customary requirements in different parts of the country – generally, in north India, saptapadi and invocation before the sacred fire are considered essential ceremonies. However, these are not considered essential ceremonies in states like Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry – an exchange of garlands or rings and tying a thali is considered enough.

Saptapadi is therefore not necessary for all marriages. However, where saptapadi is observed as a ceremony, when last step taken around the fire the marriage will be considered complete.

What does it mean to annul my marriage under Hindu law?

As you know, there are certain conditions for a valid Hindu marriage. When these legal requirements are not met, your marriage suffers from certain legal defects/problems. It has no legal validity and you can annul the marriage in a Court. There are two categories of legal defects in a marriage – ‘void’ and ‘voidable.’ It’s simple – a void marriage is automatically considered an invalid marriage from the very beginning and there is no need to annul it. On the other hand, a voidable marriage is legal until a Court says it is not. Once you have fulfilled conditions then your marriage can go back to being valid.

For example, marriages are void when the conditions of not having a spouse before getting married, you and spouse not falling within the category of “prohibited relationship” or “sapindas” are not followed. On the other hand, a marriage is voidable when your spouse is impotent.

My husband has filed for divorce on the grounds that I have deserted him. However, the truth is that I was forced to leave and go to my parents house because he was physically abusing me. What can I do under Hindu law?

The law allows for situations where one spouse is forced to withdraw from the company of the other. For instance, in a situation where your spouse is treating you with cruelty – either mentally or physically – it would be considered reasonable for you to leave them. Therefore, while considering your spouse’s petition for divorce will be decided upon after taking into consideration your reasons for leaving his company.

Are there any reasons for Hindu divorce that are solely available to women?

Yes, the law allows women to file for divorce against their husbands in the following instances:

  • When the husband remarries before getting a divorce or in the lifetime of the first wife.
  • Where after getting married, husband has been held guilty of rape, sodomy or bestiality.
  • When husband and wife have been living apart for one year after the Court has instructed the husband to pay maintenance.
  • When the woman is married off before she turns 15 years and she wants to end the marriage.

What do Courts consider as a ‘valid Hindu marriage’ before granting a divorce?

In order to grant a divorce, one of the first things that the Court checks is if they were in a marriage that was legally valid i.e. a subsisting marriage. The Court can only grant a divorce if the marriage legally existed. So, it checks if your marriage existed as per the law to go forward with divorce proceedings.

For example, Bhavana and Amit are in a live-in relationship. Bhavana cannot file a divorce against Amit as they are not in a “subsisting marriage” since they have not gone through the marital ceremonies or registered their marriage under the law.

Which Court do you approach to file your case for Hindu divorce?

You have to file your case in the Family Court in your District. However, consult your lawyer before filing the case.

There may be situations where a particular District does not have a Family court. In these situations, the District Judge or a Civil Judge appointed by the State Government will perform the same functions as a Family Court judge.

Do Courts use video conferencing during a Hindu divorce case?

Recently, many Courts have been using videoconferencing for matrimonial and divorce cases because it is hard for the parties to travel to another city just for the case. So, Courts have said that only after the husband and wife have discussed problems such as property, custody etc. and it has failed, that the case can proceed by the use of video conferencing. Further, both spouses have to consent to the use of video conferencing.

Are Hindu divorce proceedings held in private?

Under the law, the divorce proceedings in Court may be held ‘in camera’, i.e, cases that are those carried out in private, in the absence of the public and the press. The Family Court may direct the parties to use in camera proceedings or one of the parties can make a request for this, which will be considered by the Family Court.

For example, Seema has filed a case against Deb for divorce. During the case, because of the amount of sexual abuse faced by the wife, Seema, she may request the Court to conduct in-camera proceedings keeping in mind the sensitive nature of her case.