A woman, Anshumala Singh (36), has filed an FIR against her mother-in-law Shalini Bharat, Director/Vice Chancellor of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) at Govandi police station. The FIR (copy with the FPJ) is also against the complainant's husband Madhav Singh and father-in-law Bharat Singh.
TISS VC, family accused of harassment by daughter-in-law
In the FIR, which was registered on September 18, Ms Singh has accused her in-laws and husband of committing atrocities against her. Ms Singh married Ms. Shalini's son, Madhav Singh (39) in 2014. Ms Singh said her in-laws met her family in 2013 with a marriage proposal but Madhav was not present, which means she did not get to meet the groom till the day of the marriage. The case against Ms. Shalini, her husband and their son, has been registered under sections 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code.
"As per their family's condition, I and Madhav got married at Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur. All the expenses of our marriage was taken care by my mother, and she spent a total of Rs. 25,60,000 on the same," she said in her statement to the police. She further stated that after their marriage, she moved in with her husband and his parents Ms. Shalini and her husband Bharat Pal Singh (72) in their apartment at Neelkanth Gardens, near Govandi station (East).
Husband suffering from mental illness, alleges complainant
Ms Singh alleged that after her marriage, she was kept isolated at the house as nobody would talk to her. Since, she was not bearing a child, her mother-in-law reportedly asked her to get herself medically examined. Since the medical tests did not reveal anything abnormal, Ms Singh suggested that her husband should get himself examined medically.
Then started a series of taunts from her in-laws regarding not paying them (dowry) during marriage, Ms Singh alleged. She further mentioned that her husband would keep on repeating certain words randomly. She said her husband was suffering from mental illness.
Ms Singh then confided the matter to her mother and sister, who suggested that she stay separately. "I moved out of the house ( around 2017) and started living in my office's quarters, located in Belapur. Days later, my husband asked me to agree for a mutual divorce, but I didn't respond. In 2020, they sent me a court notice for divorce," she mentioned.
Owing to COVID-19 lockdown, the complainant could not work on the paper work. Meanwhile, she alleged, she received several calls from people who were acquainted with her in-laws. The calls were mostly about threats to sign the divorce.
Talking to FPJ, Ms Shalini said, "The matter is subjudice in the Family Court and so I do not wish to comment on it. The complainant moved out of the matrimonial home on her own will nearly 7.5 years ago. I stand for women's rights to justice, being a woman myself, I have full faith in our judiciary to deliver justice."
