New Delhi: After the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a legislation that will entitle a wife, on divorce, to have a share in her husband's inherited or inheritable property, it has sparked off a debate as to whether the government is becoming too overzealous in its quest for political correctness. By the way, the government has not dabbled with the exact quantum of the compensation and has left it to the discretion of the court.
A sizeable section of people, comprising both men and women, finds the government's latest decision as "violating the basic principles of right to equality" as an individual mentioned on Twitter.
Coming close on the heels of the government's 'affirmative action' on child custody, another section welcomes this as a much-needed step in a country where many wealthy joint families divest men of assets so as to avoid payment of compensation in case of a divorce.
Their point is possibly more strengthened by the fact that incomes of most Indian men are hidden which is evident from the fact that only 2.77 per cent of Indians pay income taxes. Since it's very difficult, if not entirely impossible, to claim inheritance of property without registration and other legal paperwork, this is seen as a surefire measure to alleviate any potential misery that may befall divorced women.
The Marriage Laws Amendment Bill will now be amended before being brought to Parliament during the monsoon session that begins on August 5.
Incidentally, the Union law ministry was in favour of granting a divorced woman exact 50 per cent of her ex-husband's inherited property but the Union ministry of women and child development put forward its objections, citing difficulty in implementation of the same.
The social media, of course, did not spare its chance for a little bit of fun, albeit political. "That's why Rahul Gandhi is not marrying. The girl could divorce him and claim half of India as compensation. Or at least half of ministries." This was tweeted and retweeted by many.
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