What is conjugal rights petition filed by Husband
Conjugal rights are rights created by marriage, i.e. right of the husband or the wife to the society of the other spouse.
The law recognises these rights— both in personal laws dealing with marriage, divorce etc, and in criminal law requiring payment of maintenance and alimony to a spouse.
Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 and Section 22 of the Special Marriage Act 1954 empower a husband or a wife to move the local district court, complaining that the other partner has “withdrawn” from the marriage without a “reasonable cause”.
The concept of restitution of conjugal rights is codified in Hindu personal law now, but has colonial origins.
Originating from Jewish law, the provision for restitution of conjugal rights reached India and other common law countries through British Rule.The British law treated wives as their husband’s personal possession hence they were not allowed to leave their husbands.
Similar provisions exist in Muslim personal law as well as the Divorce Act, 1869, which governs Christian family law.
Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which deals with restitution of conjugal rights, reads:When either the husband or the wife has, without reasonable excuse, withdrawn from the society of the other, the aggrieved party may apply, by petition to the district court.
For restitution of conjugal rights and the court, on being satisfied of the truth of the statements made in such a petition and that there is no legal ground why the application should not be granted, may decree restitution of conjugal rights accordingly.
The law is being challenged now on the main grounds that it violates the fundamental right to privacy.In 2017, a nine-judge Bench of the SC recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right.The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.The 2017 judgement has set the stage for potential challenges to several laws such as criminalisation of homosexuality, marital rape, restitution of conjugal rights, the two-finger test in rape investigations.The plea argues that a court-mandated restitution of conjugal rights amounted to a “coercive act” on the part of the state, which violates one’s sexual and decisional autonomy, and right to privacy and dignity.
Biassed Against Women:
Although the law is gender-neutral since it allows both wife and husband to seek restitution of conjugal rights, the provision disproportionately affects women.Women are often called back to marital homes under the provision, and given that marital rape is not a crime, leaves them susceptible to such coerced cohabitation.It is also argued whether the state can have such a compelling interest in protecting the institution of marriage that it allows a legislation to enforce cohabitation of spouses.
In the recent judgement of Joseph Shine v Union of India 2019, the SC has put great emphasis on the right to privacy and bodily autonomy of married women, stating that marriage does not take away their sexual freedom nor choice.If everybody is entitled to their bodily autonomy, choice, and right to privacy, how can a court mandate two adults to cohabit if one of them does not wish to do so.
Another pertinent matter to take into consideration is the misuse of this provision as a shield against divorce proceedings and alimony payments.Often an aggrieved spouse files for divorce from their place of residence and their spouse retaliates by filing for a decree of restitution in their place of residence.
Source: The Hindu