Andhra witnesses 60% increase in divorce cases

VIJAYAWADA: In a disturbing trend indicating growing incompatibility between married couples, the family court of Vijayawada has been flooded with 1,300 divorce cases this year alone.
This is the highest number of such cases since 2011, constituting a 60 per cent increase. However, for the first time this year, the court also witnessed 20 reunions, wherein divorced couples changed their minds and decided to put their broken lives back on track.

As on date, there are as many as 1,298 pending divorce cases in the family court here. This month alone saw four cases of couples reenter the bliss of marriage. Among them is a couple who decided to reconcile after a one-year long bitter court battle for separation.In a recent case, 26-year-old Jyothi (name changed), a working woman, secured legal separation from her husband, Suresh (name changed) in January this year. She got married in 2014.

The couple went for divorce with mutual consent in 2015, soon after she delivered a baby girl. Due to constant conflicts at her in-laws’ house, Jyoti decided enough was enough and wanted to leave her husband to lead her own life.But a few months after divorce, the couple had a change of mind and remarried early this month.

Speaking to Express, Jyoti said, “We had deep love for each other and got married with the consent of our parents. But somehow I couldn’t get along with my in-laws and with regular quarrels blighting our peace, we approached court and applied for divorce. But after separation, we strongly felt the need to reunite for the sake of our kid. So, we again decided to reunite and lead a happy life.”According to officials, it is common to see 10-15 couples walking everyday into the court hall accompanied by their advocates seeking divorce or legal separation.

Experts cite ego clashes and family disputes as the main reasons for the growing number of divorce cases. Majority of the couples who are seeking divorce are in the age group of 28-35 years. While most couples are approaching court seeking divorce with mutual consent, the number of petitions for maintenance are also on the rise.

Speaking to Express, A Parthasarathy, Judge of Principal Family Court, said, “Over the years, couples approaching us for divorce have increased. Earlier, the very idea of divorce was frowned upon by the society forcing couples to find ways to make adjustments and compromises. But nowadays, all those inhibitions are gone and an alarming number of couples are unblushingly walking in everyday for separation.”

Year 2016 opened with 1,260 cases in the family court and ended with 723. Similarly, this year there are still 1,298 cases pending. Each year, the number of cases being filed is increasing month by month.