BENGALURU: To address the rising distress among men involved in marital disputes, the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a men’s rights group called for urgent reforms in India’s judicial system on Saturday.
The organisation highlighted the recent suicide of AI expert Atul Subhash, and the ongoing struggles of Srinivas, a resident of Bengaluru, suffering from schizophrenia, as strong examples of systemic insensitivity. Both of their cases and struggles highlight the weaponisation of judicial systems in marital conflicts, leading to unfair treatment and financial distress among men, SIFF said.
They submitted nine demands to be implemented by the judicial system and lawmakers, some of which include replacing the term ‘maintenance’ with spousal support or assistance.
They urged that spousal support should be for only a limited period and that men should pay for child support until the child is a major or till he/she becomes independent.
They also demanded that the spouse should not be allowed to file cases in multiple courts in different cities and all cases — civil or criminal between spouses have to be decided in the same court. They proposed rejecting spousal support requests if women have stable incomes or jobs.
Procedural reforms include enabling remote hearings through video conferencing, particularly for litigants living over 300 km away, to ease delays and legal burdens.
SIFF demands the protection of men’s workplace rights by stopping police interference or passport impounding, which can harm their livelihoods. Additionally, they emphasise changes to prevent the misuse of IPC 498A and related laws to stop false cases and harassment.
They demanded the Centre to constitute a Parliamentary Enquiry Committee to probe situations and insensitivities in the Judicial Ecosystem that drive men to end their lives. SIFF urged the government to investigate judicial insensitivity and rising male suicides, calling for action within six months.