Jain family alleges social boycott over inter-sect marriage in Thane

The Digambara family alleged social boycott by members of their community after their son married a Shwetambara woman.

For a Jain family from Thane, a wedding within their faith but across sects has allegedly come at the cost of social ties. The family, from the Digambar sect, alleged social boycott by members of their community after their son married a woman from the Shwetambar sect, prompting the father to file a complaint against their community leader and the office-bearers of his trust.

Divesh Jain, from the Digambar sect, and Solani, from the Shwetambar sect, got married in November 2025.

The accused, however, have denied the allegations.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, the complainant Sohanlal Jain, along with his advocate Sagar Kadam, said that his son, Divesh, who belongs to the Digambar sect, married a woman from the Shwetambar sect, Saloni, in November 2025.

Father asked to cancel the wedding by sect leaders

He claimed that before the wedding, community leaders had pressured him to it call off. He also alleged that even after the marriage, the community chairman, Mahavir Taya, along with other office-bearers, insisted that the alliance be cancelled.

Despite the pressure, the family went ahead with the marriage. Following this, the family was allegedly excluded from community events and social functions because members claimed the alliance violated established norms. Sohanlal said that two meetings were convened at the community’s registered office in Bhandup, where community members were instructed not to invite the family to any events or social gatherings.

It was announced that those who did not follow the directive would face social exclusion, Sohanlal said.

‘I was completely boycotted’: Father

“After I refused to accept their decision, I was completely boycotted,” Sohanlal alleged, adding that he later approached the police and submitted a written complaint against Taya and seven other members of the trust.

He has sought action under Sections 5 (social boycott) and 7 (supporting the imposition of a boycott) of the Maharashtra Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, along with relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal intimidation and more.

Responding to the allegations, Mahavir Taya, chairman of the Beesa Narsinghpura Digambar Jain Samaj, denied any wrongdoing. “We have not implemented any boycott against anyone. These allegations are baseless and false,” he said, adding that, “This is a democratic country and anyone can marry in any caste.”