New Delhi, In a significant development, the Supreme Court has stayed the Patna High Court’s judgment that annulled the marriage of an Indian Army personnel reportedly forced into a gunpoint wedding, locally known as “Pakadua” wedding.
The division bench issued notices and a stay order on the appeal filed by the wife challenging the high court’s decision. The high court had set aside a three-year-old judgment of the family court, which had initially refused to annul the marriage in favor of the husband.
The Army constable, victim to the forced marriage in 2013, sought relief from the family court, which dismissed his petition on January 27, 2020. The subsequent appeal to the high court resulted in a ruling in his favor. The high court emphasized that the onus was on the respondents to prove the marriage was solemnized following all rites and rituals, a contention not supported by evidence.
