Woman was pregnant with another man's child at the time of their marriage; she had multiple affairs and denied her husband a physical relationship for last three years
Three years after he filed for divorce, Nitin Joshi (35) was finally freed of the miserable life he led for 10 years with his ‘spouse from hell’. The court dissolved his marriage with Savita (28) on June 4. Apart from denying him a physical relationship for the last three years, Savita was also suspected of having multiple illicit relationships in her hometown, Ratnagiri.
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Freedom at last
Judge Subhash Kafre, in his decree dissolving their marriage on June 4 said, “(Nitin) has stated that more than three years prior to the petition, the respondent deserted him. There is no cohabitation and physical relation between them. It appears that the respondent has compelled the petitioner to lead sexless life for years together. (She) has deserted the petitioner and brought an end to the cohabitation permanently… it is safe to hold that he was treated with cruelty and deserted.”
Kept in the dark
Just before their marriage, which took place on May 3, 2002, Savita was five months pregnant. She had been ‘married off’ to Nitin, a resident of Girgaum, to avoid bringing shame to her family. Neither Savita, nor her family, had disclosed this fact to Nitin’s kin. That very month, soon after the marriage, Savita underwent an abortion at an Andheri hospital. After this harrowing experience, the couple tried to reconcile and stayed together at Bhuleshwar for about nine months. They then moved to Nerul. Witnessing no change in Savita’s alleged promiscuous behaviour, a frustrated Nitin moved out of their Nerul home and started residing as a paying guest in Jogeshwari. Though he was living separately, he bore all of Savita’s expenses, which were exorbitant.
Harassment begins
Despite Nitin taking care of her financial needs, Savita filed false police complaints of harassment against him. She continued harassing him by calling Nitin and his relatives repeatedly. She would call him around 50 to 60 times a day, disrupting his work. At times she would land up at his office and insult Nitin in front of his colleagues. She also threatened him and his family with physical harm.
Untraceable
Soon after Nitin filed for divorce in the Bandra Family Court, summons were issued to Savita, who by then had shifted to Ratnagiri. She apparently refused to accept the summons. On March 29, 2011, summons were sent via Civil Court in Ratnagiri through the bailiff. The bailiff managed to contact her brother only to be informed that Savita had moved back to Mumbai. However, he had no inkling about her whereabouts. Despite repeated attempts Savita remained unreachable.
(Names of litigants changed to protect privacy)u00a0