The Gujarat high court, the other day, severely reprimanded a man who has been accused by his wife of frequent assaults and harassment by saying, “If you want to show valour, better go to the border”.
Vanrajsinh Rana, a driver by profession, is accused of beating his wife and threatening her with a sword over domestic disputes. When he appeared before the court to get the FIR lodged against him by his wife quashed, Justice Sonia Gokani advised him not to misbehave with his wife.
“You must know how tense the situation is in Jammu & Kashmir. There is a real requirement of people there on the border. If you want to draw your sword to show your strength and valour, you should spare it for services on the border,” the court chided Rana.
Rana’s wife Suryaben, a mother of three, had lodged a FIR against him earlier this year with Chiloda police in Gandhinagar district accusing him of cruelty and harassment, threatening her of constant beatings and particularly drawing a sword to threaten her over trivial domestic issues. Police booked Rana under sections 498A, 504, 506 and 323 of the IPC.
A few months after the FIR was lodged, the couple reached a compromise with the intervention of elders and leaders of the Rajput community. After the dispute was settled, Rana moved the HC for quashing of the FIR on the grounds that prosecution would not serve any purpose and would only further disturb their life.
The court summoned the couple during the hearing. Justice Gokani told Rana that home is a place where people get peace and compassion. “Life really becomes miserable when one does not get peace at home also,” the court added. The court quashed the charges after determining wife Surya’s wish that junking the FIR would help in maintaining domestic peace.
Wanting to assure Surya’s safety, the court directed that an officer from the department of social welfare should pay frequent visits to her home during the next two years to ascertain that the husband is behaving himself as promised and Surya has no problem. The court warned that in case the officer finds the woman in trouble, the FIR and prosecution against Rana would be revived.
