Jammu: Caught in the law and traditions, liberation for the women in real terms came with Jammu and Kashmir becoming the Union Territories. A section of women feel that for them freedom has come 72 years too late, after the country’s Independence following the decision on Article 370, August 5.
“We got freedom in the true sense now,” an elated Radhika Kerni, a local resident of this place told this agency, Monday. She said earlier women were ‘forced’ to get married within the region. If they married someone from outside the state, they would lose their inheritance, including ancestral property rights.
“Now with the abolition of Article 370, we can proudly say we are residents of India, not of Jammu and Kashmir,” an elated Kerni, who was born and brought up in Katra and married to Sanjeev Kerni added.
Another local resident Sangeeta Gupta said Article 370 abrogation would end discrimination against women. “My first cousin lost her inheritance rights as she is married to a man belonging to Pathankot, which is located just on the border of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, I hope she can claim her rights on ancestral property which was earlier denied by her two brothers,” said Gupta.
“She had earlier surrendered her property rights owing to her helplessness. Now the scrapping of Article 370 has restored not only their dignity in the real sense but also the rights of the women,” Gupta added.
As per the prevailing customary laws, a woman automatically loses her permanent resident certificate (PRC) or citizenship if she moves out of the state after getting married.
But if a man marries a woman belonging to the state and prefers to stay within the state, the bride continues to retain PRC status, but not her bridegroom. Their children born in the state will be automatically entitled for PRC status. The ‘outsider’ bridegroom is also entitled to buy land and property anywhere in the state, including Kashmir, in the name of his wife.
College student Sapna Sethi is all in favour of abolition of Article 370. “The Modi government has given the daughters, wives and mothers freedom from the prevailing inheritance law, which no other government in the Centre even thought about,” said Sapna.
“Earlier, women would have to literally depend on the mercy of male members of the family. Now we have the right to inherit ancestral property…we can live with dignity,” she asserted.
Political parties told IANS the male-centric law is going to be obsolete now.
“Our Constitution gives equal rights to both men and women. This was earlier applicable all over the country, minus Jammu and Kashmir. Now our government at the Centre has given equal rights to both men and women as enshrined in the Constitution in this state too after 72 years of Independence,” BJP’s Mahila Morcha president Rajni Sethi told this agency.
Sethi said women like her would celebrate the country’s Independence Day this year in the true sense.
Social activist Seema Mattu said the condition of deserted women, widows and spinsters, who belong to Jammu but settle outside the state after marriage, is deplorable.
“Some of them have to literally depend on the mercy of other members of the family to get their father’s property rights. Now they will automatically get the right to inherit property, they can live with dignity even after marriage,” Mattu said and added this will now open employment opportunities for the women too.
IANS