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Gujarat high court helps end 8 year ostracism of family

Sendhabhai Satwara’s family was boycotted by their community over a 20 year old incident.

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Their community, Shree Dandhavya Pragana Sathwara Kadia Samaj, ostracised their family for eight years over an incident that took place 20 years back. The excommunication was so severe that it nearly ruined their prospects for a good marriage.

But Chetna, 28, and Manisha, 30, are happy today, thanks to the Gujarat high court's intervention which ended their community's hostility to their family. With the Sathwara Samaj accepting them back into its fold, the two girls - who belong to the same extended family as Sendhabhai Sathwara - have finally been able to get married.

The incident for which Chetna and Manisha's family was ostracised took place in Mehsana in 1980. Sendhabhai Sathwara's uncle had lodged a criminal complaint against one Natubhai Sathwara and three others for assaulting him with a sword. In 1983, all the four accused were convicted and jailed by a local court. It was then that Sendhabhai's troubles started.

"When the family members and relatives of the accused came to hold positions of authority in our community, they excommunicated us," said Sendhabhai. "And this was done without getting the community members to pass any resolution in this regard."

Sendhabhai's family and those of his four brothers together comprise 35 members. "Our 11 boys and 2 girls had to remain unmarried as nobody wanted to have any kind of relationship with us," Sendhabhai said.

He added that the Sathwaras are a close knit people who abide
by the orders of the community's leadership.   

The excommunication meant the 35 members of Sendhabhai's extended family were barred from attending the functions of the community. At the same time, others were strictly forbidden from talking to them.

"The excommunication was so harsh that my four brothers and I had difficulty getting our sons and daughters married," said Sendhabhai. Unable to do anything about it, the family, with the help of an NGO, Shree Yogkshem Foundation of Human Dignity (SYFHD), sought legal relief. They first sent 150 'appeal' letters to the top leaders of the community but there was no response to their missives.

Then they filed a petition with the Gujarat high court against the excommunication and the rules of the community which allowed dowry.  Sendhabhai said that when the matter came up for hearing in the high court, the community members could not furnish the resolution that had ostensibly asked for their excommunication. "So we appealed to the court to direct the community leaders to place an advertisement in the newspapers vouching for our good name and character, and stating that we had not been ostracised," he said.

Dr Rajendra Shukla of SYFHD said that while the hearing in the high court was still going on, the community's leaders placed an advertisement in the newspapers stating that they had not excommunicated Sendhabhai's family.

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