Marriages fixed on Facebook are bound to fail: Gujarat High Court

Ahmedabad: With an increasing number of youngsters taking to social media to find new friends and life partners, the Gujarat High Court on Friday observed that marriages fixed on social networking sites like  Facebook are "bound to fail".

The high court made this unusual observation while disposing off a case of domestic violence filed by a woman against her husband.

The court advised the couple to dissolve their troubled marriage claiming that a wedlock fixed on Facebook is "bound to fail". 

Justice JB Pardiwala made the observation in his January 24 order while hearing the case filed by a Rajjot woman, Fansi Shah, who had accused her husband Jaideep Shah and her in-laws of harassing her for dowry.

"They got married and within two months thereafter problems cropped up in their marital life. I should make note of one fact that the parties did try to settle the matter, however, the settlement could not be arrived at," the judge observed.

"This is one of those modern marriages fixed on Facebook, therefore, bound to fail," Pardiwala said.

Jaideep, who hails from Navsari, met Fansi on Facebook in 2011, when he was pursuing a degree course in engineering. The two frequently started chatting on Facebook and came close to each other.

In the year 2015, the two tied the knot with the consent of their parents. 

However, the marital relationship turned sour within two months.

The relationship between the two soured so much that Fansi actually lodged an FIR against Jaideep, his brother Piyush and parents-in-law Vikeshbhai and Anitaben, accusing them of domestic violence and harassing her for dowry.

Responding to it, Jaideep and his family members approached the high court in 2016 seeking quashing of the case.

The couple, who are still in their early 20s, were advised by the high court to consider divorce and move ahead in life.

"I am still of the view that the parties should explore the possibility of settlement and put an end to the marriage with consent. Both the sides are young. Once the marriage is dissolved, they can think about their future avenues in life," he said.

Noting that the allegations were mainly against the husband, Pardiwala quashed the charges against the in-laws.

The court, however, no gave no relief to Jaideep and ordered that an investigation against him shall proceed in accordance with the law. 

(With PTI inputs)