Legal aid for deserted NRI wives

New Delhi: Concerned over the increasing number of cases of Indian women being duped and deserted by NRI husbands, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs has started a scheme to provide legal assistance to such victims. “The scheme will enable the Indian women to take up their case in the relevant court in the country concerned. It is a welfare measure to support women of Indian origin in distress, through mobilisation of the local Indian community in the endeavour and entails financial assistance from the government,” minister for overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi said.

Elaborating the objectives of the scheme, ministry officials said the aim is to provide moral support, financial assistance and legal aid to the women deserted by their spouses.  Counselling and legal services would be provided through credible Indian Women’s Organi-sations/Indian Community Associations and NGOs, identified by the Indian missions and empanelled by the ministry, for providing such services in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Gulf.  The scheme would be a boon for the women who are deserted by their overseas Indian spouses or are facing divorce proceedings in a foreign country, subject to the condition that the woman is an Indian passport holder and that her marriage has been solemnised in India, the woman is deserted or the divorce proceedings are initiated within five years of the marriage.

According to officials in the ministry, the financial assistance will be limited to $1000 per case and the amount will be released to the concerned organisation/NGO assisting the victim in documentation and preparatory work for filing the case.  The women’s organisation/NGO will make efforts to enlist community advocates, preferably women advocates, for court proceedings, they said.  Under the scheme, Indian missions in the countries concerned would empanel credible Indian women’s organisations/Indian community associations/NGOs and advocates to provide legal aid to the victims.