At a time when the Bihar Government has announced to pay incentives of Rs 50,000 to the girls who opt for inter-caste marriage, a father in the State has sued his only son for marrying a girl out of his own caste. He has filed not only a defamation suit for Rs 1 crore against his son but has also sought royalty of Rs 10,000 each time he would use his name or surname.
Sidh Nath Sharma, an advocate in the Danapur local court, near Patna has sued his only son Sushant Jasu for inter-caste marriage in November last. The court has admitted the case and the next hearing would be on Saturday.
Sharma had filed the case in the local court on January 2 this year.
His son Sushant Jasu, who works for the Central Government as senior tax assistant in Palanpur of Gujarat had married a girl of his choice but out of his caste on November 20, 2013. In terms of caste hierarchy in the State, the girl comes from a lower caste. The girl who too comes from Danapur locality is a bank official.
The boy’s family comes from upper caste, Bhumihar and the girl comes from the Kurmi caste. Sushant has been the only son with three sisters of his parents.
“By marrying a girl out of our caste my son has not only tarnished my prestige and reputation but he has also raped nearly 400 years old of my family tradition”, Sidh Nath told The Pioneer.
“Now he must compensate me for his act of misdeed…he cannot even use my name as his father, for, I’ve got the copyright of my name”, he further said.
Sidh Nath Sharma, is also a local vernacular writer and poet — he has written six books and a number of poems. He further rued that if his son would use his name as father anywhere “he has to pay me Rs 10,000 every month as royalty”.
Sushant on his own has affixed his surname as “Jasu”, apparently to hide his caste, was in love with the girl he married from the last two years. It is said that both the families knew each other for long.
Significantly, Sidh Nath Sharma has his own argument to claim compensation from his son. “I’m not opposing my son’s marriage for the sake of dowry or anything else as it is being projected…earlier, I’d declared to my society that I will marry my son without taking even a single rupee in dowry”, he said.
“But what he has done is traditional misconduct which has caused sentimental injuries to me”, he rued. They say love is blind but the creation of love does not permit a lover to destroy and extinguish the previous love which he held with other members of his family, he argued. “The hereditary chain of traditions must be maintained by family members.
The issue is how can a son born and brought up by his parents can defy the family tradition and go on his own way…such acts eventually will lead to social anarchy in society and family”, he explained
I need a comprehensive debate on this issue-both on legal and social forums, said Sidh Nath Sharma.
For me the civil litigation was the only remedy and now “let a pious duty of a son towards his father and family be decided by the court regarding the maintenance of nearly 400 years old traditional family sanskar (cultural tradition)”, he said.
Interestingly, the boy’s mother, sisters and other family members had participated in his marriage ceremony and they’ve accepted the girl as his wife. “let them do what they want to do…I know they have accepted the marriage under their emotional pressure but I’ll not succumb”, said Sidh Nath Sharma.
But will his case stand legally in the courtIJ
“Why notIJ...law is not the command of sovereign, it is also an appeal and if it is not appealing it becomes objectionable”, he argued. Sidh Nath Sharma, interestingly, also keeps fighting against prevailing corruption in judiciary in Danapur court.
When asked what will happen now, he said, “I’ve told my son that if he will divorce the girl with her consent and agrees for marriage with a girl from our own caste I’m ready to accept him”, he said.
“Else he has to face the court battle and pay me the compensation for which I’m fully entitled to”, he said emphatically.
Caste in Indian society especially in Hindi heartland States like Bihar decides everything from birth to death. Many girls were being killed as the reports of ‘honour killing’ often hit the headlines, for marrying outside caste.
“Nobody can escape the caste conundrum in a feudal society like Bihar …it determines everything in life which chases one until death, and Sidh Nath Sharma here is no exception”, said a social observer.
“Those who defy caste have to generally face hostility and scorn from family and society,” he said.
But Sidh Nath Sharma appeared non-committal. “It’s all fine but let the court decide it first”, said Sidh Nath Sharma. “If I’ll not get justice from the lower court I’ll approach the High Court and then the Supreme Court of India for my compensation”, he added further.