#1CroreAlimony: Men’s Rights Campaign Targets Alimony Laws, Accuses Judiciary of Treating Women as a ‘Burden
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 29th January 2024: Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a Men’s rights NGO, launched a campaign titled “Woman is a Burden” with the hashtag #1CroreAlimony. According to the foundation, Indian courts are demanding substantial amounts of alimony in matrimonial cases, even from well-educated and earning women.
Activists from SIFF stood near the District Court in Shivajinagar to raise awareness about alimony laws in India. They conducted a rally across the court, receiving a positive response from litigants. Demands were submitted to the Principal Judge, District Court Pune.
Sagar Gunthal, Counselor of SIFF, shared views with advocates and the public, emphasizing the need for no dowry, no alimony, and prevention of male suicides.
#1CrAlimony Twitter Trend:
In India, there is no limit on alimony amount, and it is not determined based on the duration of marriage or the husband’s capability. SIFF activists took to Twitter to address this issue, receiving a positive response with multiple posts garnering lakhs of views. A single post reached over 5 million people, highlighting the perceived threat of alimony to husbands if marriages do not succeed.
SIFF Co-founder, Anil Murty, stated, “The situation is severe for men in short marriages, where a man married for just 6 months may be asked to pay 50 lakhs – 1 Crore alimony. This trend is encouraged by the judiciary, even though various women empowerment schemes have been launched since the ’90s.” Anil Murthy also expressed concerns about the potential misuse of marital rape laws, leading to significant alimony claims.
Social Rights activist Sameer Goel mentioned the alarming rise in male suicides due to family reasons. As per NCRB data from 2022, 83,713 married men committed suicide, with 30% attributing it to family reasons.
Activists’ Demands:
1. Recognize the importance of marriage and the responsibilities of each spouse.
2. Decide alimony based on the duration of marriage, avoiding a lifetime financial burden.
3. Reinstate an upper limit on alimony relative to marriage duration.
4. Appoint visiting psychologists and psychiatrists in every court to prevent mental health crises.
5. Establish a special commission to address the rising suicides of men due to marital issues.
6. Include the issue of men’s suicides in the manifesto of every political party.
Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) is the largest pan-India men’s rights NGO, founded in 2005, advocating for various legal and social reforms related to men’s rights.
