The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) has said that the number of divorce cases in the Parsi community is so high that it has written to the chief justice of the Bombay high court (HC) to increase the number of sessions in the Parsi divorce court.
The court currently convenes twice a year. The revelation came while the court was hearing an appeal filed by a Parsi husband challenging the April 13 order by a single judge which granted the custody of his minor daughter to his wife and restrained him from entering their flat.
The BPP got involved into the matter after, taking the exceptional nature of the case into account, it agreed to allot a flat on rent to the husband on a refundable deposit of Rs1 crore (to be paid by the wife) at Godrej Baug on Napean Sea Road.
Appreciating the BPP’s efforts, a division bench of justice PB Majmudar and justice Anoop Mohta said that the punchayet has taken a humanitarian and practical approach on the matter.
Chairman of BPP Dinshaw Mehta said that this should not be a precedent for other couples seeking divorce.
{{/usCountry}}Chairman of BPP Dinshaw Mehta said that this should not be a precedent for other couples seeking divorce.
{{/usCountry}}The court then queried about the divorce rate among Parsis.
“It is very high,” Mehta said adding that there are many cases of divorce owing to which they have written to the chief justice to increase the number of sessions to at least 3-4. Mehta told the court that this may be because the Parsis are very educated and individualistic in their own views.
As for the couple’s dispute, the judges said that “a long- drawn bitter battle has come to a happy ending” after the couple decided on the consent terms including the monetary factor and visiting rights for the father.