Gujarat man agrees to 'remarry' wife traditionally to end custody battle

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court brought closure to a unique marital dispute after a man, battling for the custody of his wife, agreed - along with his family - to travel to her native village in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, and solemnise the marriage through traditional rituals.According to the case details, the couple already tied the knot in Ahmedabad three months ago and had registered their marriage legally with the marriage registrar at Dariapur on Feb 25. However, as both parties were from different castes, the bride's family refused to accept the union. The dispute reached Vadaj police station, where both parties reached a settlement. Both families agreed to a traditional wedding by performing all the rituals on April 19.The woman's family took her from the police station, and it was decided that the husband would go to his wife's native place at village Nandaliahara in Dungarpur district as the groom with a wedding party. All marriage rituals would be performed, and he could then bring his wife back to his home in Ahmedabad.As the man did not hear from his wife later, he approached the high court on April 14 urging it to reunite her with him. When the woman came to the court, she made it clear that she was willingly residing at her parental house and was ready to accompany her husband if a traditional marriage at her native place was held. The man's family expressed security concerns about going to Rajasthan for the rituals, but the woman's family remained adamant.Following the HC's intervention, the woman's father promised the court and the man's family that the groom and his family members would be welcomed and assured of their safety and security during their stay at Dungarpur.As the petitioner's family agreed to the traditional wedding party at Dungarpur, the HC disposed of the petition and said, "In view of the aforesaid undertaking provided by the respondent No.4 (woman's father) with regards to the safety and security of the petitioner and his family members during their stay in Rajasthan, the present matter stands disposed of by recording that the corpus is not in any illegal confinement with her parents at Rajasthan and both sides are ready and willing to accept the petitioner and the corpus as legally wedded husband and wife."