‘Divorces among elderly couples rising’

 

Divorces are not just a problem among the younger generation anymore. An increasing number of break-ups are being reported among elderly couples in the city, with the women approaching police stations to get divorces. S Jyothi Lakshmi, inspector of police, women police station, Central Crime Station told Express they receive around 10 such cases daily, out of which 2 to 4 are of elderly couples. “It is very difficult to solve the issues related to long-established marriages. They generally are averse to any compromises during the counselling session,’’ she observed. For instance, 60-year-old Chandrasekhar Rao (name changed), a resident of Amberpet has been married to Chandrika (54) for more than 30 years. However, they are now exploring legal options to formally separate. They cite abuse, abandonment and ego clashes for their inability to stay together. “A few days ago, Chandrika approached us and lodged a complaint seeking divorce. We studied the case and provided counselling to the wife and husband. With husband consenting to provide financial aid to Chandrika, she applied for divorce,’’ said K Devaki, counsellor of Women Support Centre, CCS. She claimed that at least one in every 15 couples that come seeking help are over 50. Jyothi Lakshmi said they have registered a number of cases of couples in their 50s and above seeking divorce. She added their number has certainly grown over the past two years. “We have even had cases where the persons were in their 60s. We received as many as 500 cases of women seeking divorce in 2011. Of them, at least 75 cases were from couples in their 50s and 60s,” she said. Suresh Kumar Potturi, a High Court advocate, who is now dealing with one case, said that Parvathi (50) approached him to apply for divorce. Her husband is a police constable. “The break-up took place after they sold out a open land they owned, a few months back. She mentioned in her complaint that her husband had started harassing her for small reasons,’’ he added.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com