Bangalore has emerged as the divorce capital of South India.
Bangalore has another tag to its name and this one is not too flattering. India’s IT City is also the divorce capital of South India.
There are at least 25 divorce cases filed every day. Between January and June 2010, 1,400 couples decided to part ways.
A majority of those filing for divorce are young, typically in their late 20s and early 30s, and work in the city’s burgeoning corporate sector. This year, 800 divorce suits have been filed in the family court. It is estimated that on an average, 7,500 cases are filed in Mumbai, 9,000 in Delhi and 3,000 in Chennai, every year.
IT employee Sushma K fell in love with her colleague Sandeep Singh five years ago. They had a live-in relationship for three years and later entered wedlock.
Now, after a year of marriage, Sushma has filed for divorce. She said Singh had stopped contributing to repaying the loan they had availed to buy a flat.
Senior advocate Anjana Sundar said: “Cases are disposed of easily if couples opt for divorce by mutual consent. These days, couples do not want to undergo the process of long trials or accusations.”
Most of them amicably, said another senior advocate, adding: “They are mentally prepared when they file for divorce and no amount of counselling helps.”
“At the same time, petty issues can be solved. Earlier, reasons for filing cases would be adultery or harassment from in-laws and false allegations under Section 498 of the IPC,” added Sundar.
High stress levels in the IT sector have only added to the rising divorce rate.
“Of the cases coming to the family court, at least 80% are filed under the Hindu Marriage Act. While 70% of couples are from the IT sector, BPOs and private companies, 30% are from the other sections of society,” said a source in the family court.
Financial stability is a major cause for the rise in divorces. “Couples do not try to save the marriage as they are confident they can lead an independent life as both of them are financially stable,” added Sundar. It’s easy to voice dissatisfaction in a marriage. “It’s more vocal, more acceptable.
The element of individual choice is very strong,” said Sundar. Cases are filed under the Domestic Violence Act too. With ample employment opportunities, women, especially from the lower middle-class, have realised they are don’t have to be dependent on their husbands.
“Thirty per cent of the cases are from the lower middle-class filed under Domestic Violence Act,” added Sundar.
“Many young couples are ill-prepared for marriage. They have unrealistic and romanticised notions of love, which dies after marriage,” said high court advocate AV Amarnathan.
The duration for a divorce to materialise is 18 months according to Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, said Sundar.
The Bangalore Mediation Centre, set up in 2007, has helped in disposing of divorce cases, which otherwise get tangled in long trails.
More than 1,783 cases have been referred to the centre in the past one year. The centre’s director, SN Navalgund said the settlement rate is 67%.
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