HC dismisses PIL seeking law for 'protection' of men from estranged wives

Prayagraj, Oct 7 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a PIL seeking a direction to the Union government for bringing in a law to "protect" men from "persecution and harassment by their estranged wives".

The PIL cited several news reports on the "plight" of men across the country and claimed that the existing laws were highly inclined in favour of women, which has emboldened them to "harass and persecute" men.

Dismissing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Chandrama Vishvakarma, a bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra observed, "A perusal of the petition indicates that except for reference to certain news-items, wholly cursory averments have been made in the petition seeking the relief, as indicated." In the order dated September 24, the court observed, "No case is made out in the petition for entertaining the same as public interest litigation".

In the PIL, the petitioner claimed that there were many cases where wives were harassing their husbands and falsely implicating them and their family members in fake cases.

Therefore, an Act which checks illegal persecution and harassment of men is the need of the hour, it said.

The petitioner said that earlier he had written to the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh and the Chief Minister of UP, but no step has been taken till date in this connection.

Hence, as a last resort, he filed the PIL before the high court with the hope of getting justice.

In the PIL, the petitioner alleged that existing laws by and large favour women. It also cited fake cases of dowry and rape.

The PIL said it is very difficult to get a divorce as per the existing laws. PTI CORR RAJ RT RT