Parliament panel says retain 6-month cooling period in divorce cases

Supporting irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for annulment of marriage, a parliamentary panel says the mandatory six-month waiting period for the married couple should not be done away with. HT reports.

Supporting irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for annulment of marriage, a parliamentary panel says the mandatory six-month waiting period for the married couple should not be done away with.

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The committee is of the view that the existing provisions of law for divorce by mutual consent are fair and reasonable and the prevailing cooling off period be retained so as to protect and preserve the institution of marriage, Jayanthi Natarajan, chairperson, parliamentary standing committee on law and justice, said at a press meet.

Having recently presented its report in Parliament on the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, the committee also sought of the government to fully define the term irretrievable breakdown of marriage in the bill so that courts in dealing with divorce petitions can follow uniform standards. It also asked for a clear definition of the term grave financial hardships to avoid ambiguity".

The proposed bill seeks to amend the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and Special Marriage Act of 1954 to allow annulment of marriage where there is no scope for reconciliation between the estranged couple.

The committee also urged the government to clear its stand with regard to adopted children as mentioned in the Bill which was introduced in the Upper House in August, 2010.