(Image source from: NDTV.com)
The Ministry of External Affairs will now display the summons to Non-Resident Indian men who abandon their wives on their official website, an official said on Wednesday.
The decision was taken in order to create a stronger deterrent for swindle NRIs. It was taken under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and among other legal solutions for redressing the issues faced by women in NRI marriages at a meeting of the Group of Ministers, The meet was attended by officials from the External Affairs, Law and Justice and Women and Child Development Ministry.
"We (Women and Child Development Ministry) are grateful to Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for enumerating fine details on ways to resolve the issue of NRI marriages," said the Women and Child Development Ministry in a tweet.
"We are working towards putting in place an efficient mechanism that will provide immediate relief to women in troubled NRI marriages," it added.
According to sources, the Law Ministry previously did not sanction of displaying the summons of NRI marriages on the MEA website and besides clashed with the Women and Child Development Ministry over impounding passports and arrogation of the property of those NRI husbands who have been found guilty of deserting their wives and failed to appear in the court.
Earlier this month, the External Affairs Ministry revoked passports of five NRIs and as well issuing Look-out-Circulars by Integrated Nodal Agency, an Inter-ministerial body headed by women and Child Development Secretary Rakesh Srivastava, with an aim to deal with matrimonial disputes.
The Women and Child Development Ministry had earlier said that it has received 40 cases accompanying to matrimonial conflicts relating to NRIs, of which six were found to be earnest and LoC issued.
The Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi inclined for issuing orders for registering NRI marriages within 48 hours, else the passport or visa of NRI husbands will not be issued.
According to the ministry, in vicious matters involving NRIs, the LoC can be issued by the investigating agency in cognizable offenses when an abroad husband is intentionally evading apprehension or not appearing in the trial court contempt non-bailable warrants and other powerful measures, or there is a likeliness that he will leave the country to evade legal proceeding or arrest.
By Sowmya Sangam
