It may sound shocking but it is true. In this part of Haryana, known for its people’s loathing of female children, there are several cases of two or more brothers sharing a common wife.
In some other cases, the woman came as a bride for one brother, but has now been living with another.
Dr Atul Mariya, Subdivisional Judicial Magistrate, Dabwali, stated these appalling facts while addressing a seminar on female foeticide in the Bar Room of the local courts today.
The seminar was organised by the Sub-Division Legal Services Committee, Dabwali, and among those who addressed it were the District and Sessions Judge, Subhash Goyal, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Naresh Singhal, and the SDM, Dr Munish Nagpal.
Mariya revealed that at least 10 cases of such nature were at present pending before him in his courts and if the present trend of choice for a male child continued, the day was not far when the number might increase manifold.
“When I joined here as Judge, I noticed that there were cases of marital discord, where the women had filed suit for maintenance under section 125 of the CrPC with proof of her marriage, but the husband denied her claims and said she lived with his other brothers now,” Mariya said about the new social trends.
The husbands also came with proofs like ration cards and the photo identity card substantiating their claims that the woman lived with his brother.
In some cases, the woman lived with two or more real brothers at the same time or at different times during her lifetime.
“Shadi ta isse naal hoi si, jinne theek rakhiya ohde naal rah gayi (I was married to this person only, but then started living with whoever maintained me decently),” the women would explain their position in most of the cases.
The trend reflects how the skewed sex ratio has been affecting the social milieu in Haryana.
Sirsa has a sex ratio of 852 girls against 1,000 boys in the age group of 0 to 6 years.
