Indian man sues son for marrying lower caste woman

Next week, a civil court in Danapur, Patna, will decide on a lawsuit that Patna-based lawyer Sidhnath Sharma filed against his son, Sushant Jasu, for marrying outside his caste.

Mr. Sharma has sought Rs. 1 crore (£97,000, $160,000) and a monthly royalty of Rs. 10,000 (£97, $160) from his son for using his name. “The petition was heard on Saturday and the court is set to give a verdict next Saturday,” Ganesh Pandey, Mr. Sharma’s lawyer, said.



Citing his petition filed on January 2, Mr. Sharma said that his son “solemnised his marriage, violating the family norms and traditions … A son is known by the name of his father, so it is his pious duty to abide by the directions of his father.” The Sharmas are Bhumihar Brahmins, while Mr. Jasu’s wife is an Avadhi Kurmi, an OBC (Other Backward Class) community. The father said he did not object to the marriage because of caste issues but objected to the disobedience of his son.

The petition states that by “marrying in another caste, [Mr. Sushant] gave an example of satisfying his carnal desires and … he has destroyed the family ‘sanskar’ [tradition] and lowered his father’s prestige in his caste and family relations.” Mr. Sharma said he was willing to settle for a “compromise” if his son agreed to solemnise a second marriage with the written consent of his wife.