New Delhi: In a major move that may prove to be a great relief to women deserted by their NRI partners, the state women commissions have urged the Ministry of External Affairs to find a way to penalise those NRIs who marry women in India and then desert them.
"Serving summons to such NRIs, who desert their wives after marriage, is very difficult as they change their addresses and emails while abroad. We have urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to find a way to serve summons to such defaulters so that swift penal action could be taken against them," said Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.
Rahatkar further stated that the women commission has asked Swaraj to create a single window mechanism where affected women can go and file their complaints.
"It may be the outcome of the lacuna in the legal system that complaints related to NRI marriage desertions have been increasing year after year. As per the available records, in the last three years over 3,300 cases have come to the notice," she said. "Given that these cases are growing, we have to take proactive measures so that guilty get punished. We have requested the MEA to put up summons against guilty people on its website and suspend their passports so that we can initiate legal action against them," she said.
To brainstorm over the issue with all the stakeholders, a national conference on "NRI Marriages, and Trafficking of Women and Children – Issues and way forward", is also being organised by MEA and Maharashtra State Commission for Women on Friday.
Representatives from 20 state women commissions, government officials, etc would take part in the event.