A court in Ernakulam has unearthed “violence against man” in a case arising out of a woman’s petition alleging that her husband unleashed domestic violence on her.
Dismissing the petition filed by Ms Honey Jacob of Udayamperoor in Kochi, the Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Cherian K Kuriakose said she had raised the allegation only to cover up her illicit relation with a colleague of hers.
Ms Jacob who was working as an executive in a leading private insurance firm had levelled several allegations against her husband Shelly Jose who is a partially disabled man.
She said he had physically abused her and insulted her in front of family members. He did not let her go to her parental house for delivery and was forced to move out of the house she had purchased with her money. He had also refused to release the custody of their child.
The woman also said among other things that her husband propagated scandals against her.
Text messages
However, the court found that Honey had filed the complaint only after Shelly accidentally came across several intimate messages in Honey’s cellphone on November 7 last year. These were sent by Mr Harikrishnan, who was then the firm’s assistant regional manager at Kottayam.
“A few of the messages extracted would show that there was a clear illicit relationship between Harikrishnan and the petitioner.
It is unfortunate that the Domestic Violence Act has not provided any punishment to such intruders who mar the peaceful family life of the innocent,” the order said. It also quoted several messages sent and received by Ms Honey Jacob.
Violence against man
“The evidence discloses that this is not a case where there was perpetration of violence against a woman, but is a clear case of violence against man in the domestic relationship for which there is no penalty,” it said.
The Domestic Violence Act that came into force a year ago allows courts to punish husbands who beat, threaten or even shout at their wives or live-in partners with jail of up to a year and a fine of Rs 20,000.
