Hi Manish , Thanks for your reply.However I guess I was not enough clear in my query. We have 10 rooms in one single house and my mother-in law has let 1 room attached kitchen and toilet and 2 seperate rooms with common toilet and rent for then are 2800/- and 1500/ each respectively. Both bothers have 1 room-set with kitchen and toilet.We have been given only one single room to survive. My mother in law has rest 4 rooms of which she uses 2 as store , however refuses to give us one as kitchen. Then you said that taking care of her is my moral duty. Respectfully accepted. However if you are abused beaten and tortured for money for last 8 yrs , I guess it is little difficult.
We had an inter-caste love marriage in 2006. My mother in law took a dowry of 31000 cash and has still kept all my wedding jewellary given by my parents. Even took away the marriage ring and bracelet and chain given to my husband. Post marriage she tortured me and repeatedly forced to get money from my parents . I had to go back to my parents . My husband tried to prevent a lot however he himself was not able to walk due to an accident that time. I completed my MBA at my parents place and got a job. My husband was still struggling and was unable to get a suitable job due to his constraint to stand straight due to removal of knee joint . When my husband again met with another accident and broke his shoulder after 3 yrs, my mother-in law requested me to come back and promised not to bother me any more. However once I got a decent job , everything started again- same abusing and torture for demand of money. All the other brothers were given separate rooms and kitchen and toilet which is required for minimum survival. However we were only given one room to live through.
My mother in law tortured me and also beat me and my husband along with other brothers and sister. We have lodged complaint with local police , who most of the time showed sympathy towards her age and the fact that she is a widow. One day when it was unbearable , we went to Mr Alok Mittal , Commissioner of police's office and plead for help. That was the time when police took an action. However still considering my MORAL DUTY and the fact that my husband ,who extremely supportive towards me morally , was born out of her , I took back my complaint.She accepted that she asks for money and donot like me as I was not her choice. She wrote an official appology and said will not torture for money. Overcharging for electricity more than normal rate is a result of not having any other means to extract money. Once I reach home in the evening from work , she takes out the light bulbs from the toilets and stops water supply from the tap. We have to take water from reservoir if available at all.She has abused us in filthy language for which we do have recordings . Even my little girl has not received mercy, since off course SHE is a GIRL CHILD.So plea of MORAL DUTY fails to make sense.
I am the bread earner for my family (me ,husand and 6 yrs old daughter). Post accident , my husband can walk though still he had to leave his job with Lakme . Then I took over the responsibility to run the house hold. I had to leave my daughter with my parents at Kolkata. 3 yrs ago , my husband took a loan from his eldest sister a loan of 65,000 and opened a mobile repairing shop. He started repaying once I got a decent job. All the details were mentioned in mother-in laws diary. One day she said she needs a cheque to show to the person from whom she has borrowed the amount that she is in the process of recovering the amount. On being pressurized by my mother in law my husband provided same. Later last yr , when I got a better job and earning, she filed a case of cheque bounce , though we were regularly paying her back. When we approached my mother in law , she refused to provide the dairy where she maintained the record. we had to pay 1, 10000/- back which I took a bank loan. Post decree , she provided a copy of diary though. This adds to the reason of overlooking the moral duty.
Then she has plead for maintainance under sec 125 crpc which is meant for destitutes and not of a personal who has at least an income of 7000/- a month.Just to highlight my husband earns very less and I have taken a bank loan , to support him to repay his sister and continue is small business.We donot have enough income to rent a house. This was a shield that she is using to refrain us from putting a DV case and to threaten us to leave the house which was purchased by selling my father-in laws shop in Sadar bazar Gurgaon
I would just request you to think about both the sides of the coin before passing suggestions .Throughout India , there are huge number of cases of Honour Killing , where average age of accused stands 50 yrs as per data . So just giving a benefit of doubt saying the old people cannot trouble you anyways is incorrect. Also overcharging electricity at 7.5 rupees / unit where normal rate is 5.8 rupees as per maximum rating, is not correct on her part . So MORAL DUTY donot stand on single person's shoulder.
Last but not the least thanks a ton for your information that sub-metering is illegal. I would be highly obliged if you share some readables regarding same. I would appreciate if you and others in the forum help me to understand that I AM THE ONE WHO IS ABUSING DV ACT.May be I will try to rediscover the in-humane aspect in myself. That would really be an eye-opener .
Regards,
Payal Sharma
