Hyderabad: Age is no bar for divorce, says G. Neelima, judge at the family court in Secunderabad.
It is a misconception that divorce cases are only filed by younger couples, when in truth older couples are steadily filing for divorce once their children are settled.
H. Kalyan (name changed), 62, has filed a petition for divorce claiming that his 35-year-long marriage with his 57-year-old wife, C. Surani (name changed), has been unhappy and the couple are not compatible. The couple had not separated earlier because they feared disapproval of society and their children.
Kalyan waited until their two daughters were married and then filed for divorce. Surani seems to agree that it’s time to part ways as the void has only grown between them and they haven’t shared the same bedroom for years. Uncontested, the divorce petition will pass easily through the judicial system.
Psychologist Sheetal Neerackal says “society’s acceptance of divorce is still negative, forcing many couples to remain married though they have nothing in common emotionally, psychologically and physically. What stops couples from breaking their union is also children. A divorce can be traumatic for a child, and then there is also the fear that the child may not be accepted by society especially when he or she is looking for a partner maybe years later. It is the stigma attached to divorce that is the cause of such late separations.”
Anvesh K. (name changed), 57, has recently dissolved his marriage to estranged wife Reena S. (name changed) after nine years of attempted mediations and counselling. Anvesh claims to have been deserted by his wife 10 years ago and had to face several petitions filed by her against him. Reena claims to have been trapped in a loveless marriage and walked out when her responsibility to her only child was fulfilled. The Secunderabad family court found the allegations of desertion and cruelty against Anvesh to be true and has sanctioned the dissolution of the marriage. Speaking on the issue,
