The Bombay high court has rejected a plea of a woman, who had moved court, seeking permission to tie the knot with a married policeman.
The division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Sadhana Jadhav refused to entertain the petition filed by Rajashree Marde on the grounds that the officer, Prashant Marde, was already married.
The court told the petitioner that Mr Marde was a married man, and has two children and a happy family of his own. Therefore, she should not disturb the peace of his family. However, the petitioner insisted that she had the right to get married to him and requested the court to intervene and facilitate the marriage.
Rajashree contended that she and Mr Marde shared a relationship of that of a married couple, and considered herself to be Mr Marde’s wife. She also told the court that she had filed several such petitions in the past, seeking the said direction.
However, the HC bench told Rajashree that there was no provision in the law under which the court was empowered to issue the directions sought for, by her. At this stage, she requested the court exercise the extraordinary jurisdiction in the interest of her family and bestow upon her the status of Mr Marde’s wife. However, the judges expressed their inability to do so and dismissed her petition.
The petitioner had written a letter in this regard on January 31 this year to the HC, which was converted into a criminal writ petition. Earlier, while hearing another criminal writ petition filed by the petitioner, another bench of the HC had called for a report from the police commissioner with regard to her grievances.
In that report, it was recorded that the petitioner desired to get married with the said police officer, who is already married and had two children. It was further noted that as a result of the conduct of the petitioner, the police officer was under enormous stress.