Concerned over the increasing number of divorce cases in the community, even over frivolous reasons, the Minorities Welfare Department has put in place a marriage counselling centre for Muslims.
The centre will function under the directions of a committee with a former Judge E. Esmail as chairman and five other members The centre will be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali on Thursday. “The increasing number of divorce and litigation cases is a matter of real concern. If we do not take steps to check it at least now, the number of divorce cases among Muslims may overtake those in other minority communities,” said Secretary, Minority Affairs, government of Telangana, Syed Omer Jaleel.
The senior officer hastened to add that it was not as if the committee and centre would act as a parallel to the judiciary. The chairman and other members will counsel the couples and advise them on their rights and responsibilities. Once a couple approaches the centre, counselling will begin on a representation from the woman with strict confidentiality being maintained. Importantly, counsel for men in cases where the ‘qula’, the right of a woman to seek a divorce too, was denied, he said.
“When the Nikahnama is read out and formalised, the qazis get to know about the marriage, but when it turns into marital discord, we are not in a position to know about it because the couples approach the traditional courts of law. So we do not have specific numbers or even estimates. But I can tell you that the way things are going, it will become a huge social problem,” Mr. Jaleel summed up.