A family court in Madhya Pradesh directed an estranged wife to reunite with her husband, highlighting the significance of wearing ‘sindoor’ as a marital obligation for Hindu women. The order was issued in the context of a case seeking to restore marital rights under the Hindu Marriage Act after the wife left her husband five years prior.
Madhya Pradesh: In a family court in Indore, a judge ordered a woman to go back to her husband, emphasizing the importance of ‘sindoor, or vermillion. This is a traditional mark worn by married Hindu women. The case started when a man wanted his wife to return after she left him five years ago, aiming to fix their marriage as per the Hindu Marriage Act.
READ ALSO: Delhi Boosts Judicial Capacity: 10 New Family Courts Approved to Tackle Case Backlog
Judge NP Singh explained that ‘sindoor’ is more than just a beauty mark; it shows a woman’s marital status and her commitment to Hindu tradition.
“She has forsaken her husband. She is not wearing the ‘sindoor’,” the court said.
In his order of March 1, the judge said, “When the statement of the woman was recorded in the court, she admitted she was not wearing ‘sindoor’. ‘Sindoor’ is a religious duty of a wife and it shows that the woman is married.”
It was clear she had not been abandoned by her husband and that she had left him and wanted a divorce, the order further said.
The lawyer, Shubham Sharma, mentioned that the couple got married in 2017 and have a five-year-old son.
