Domestic Violence charges keeping NRI men away from their families in India

NRI men are increasingly finding themselves being falsely implicated in domestic violence charges and are thus being forced to stay away from their family and country to prevent getting arrested.

Consider the troubles being faced by the septuagenarian couple Kamaljeet Singh and his wife. They have not met their son for the last seven years, after he was charged with non-bailable 498A (Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and his lawyers advised him to stay in Canada and not to return to India to avoid arrest.

The couple insists that their son is innocent and the case is false. But, they are yet to find any relief for their troubles. At an age when everyone prefers to be in proximity of their sons and daughters, the couple is forced to fight the legal battle alone.

Many NRIs who become implicated in domestic violence charges choose not to fight the case to avoid being stuck in a legal battle that may cause scandal and public humiliation, loss of job, huge financial burden, etc. They are also legally advised not to return back to India to avoid being arrested.

But, many legal experts believe that, though they may avoid getting arrested by not returning to India, their decision to not fight the case may further complicate the matter.

One of the greatest hurdle NRIs face in fighting the legal battle is regarding access to documents. This hinders their ability to properly prepare and present their case in the court. Another issue is the huge financial expenditure that is incurred in legal proceedings and frequent travel. Experts believe that if documents are made available online, then it would go a long away in helping these NRIs to present their case in a better way.