Q.970 Married to British citizen,

dealing with domestic violence

Question: Sir, My niece married a British citizen and now both of them are in India. Unfortunately her husband started abusing her both physically and mentally, in a drunken state. The matter has reached to such a state that my niece wants to get rid of her husband. My question is whether she can lodge a FIR in local police station and then move to court for filing a separation suit or she has to apply through British embassy. Kindly favour us with your views asap S R Gupta Answer: A divorce granted in India may be valid in UK provided the divorce order is made as part of a legal divorce procedure valid in India. Either of the parties should have been resident, domiciled or a national of India when the divorce was obtained. What you need is to consult a divorce lawyer and seek guidance on how to proceed. I doubt that the British embassy would have anything to do with filing a FIR or a lawsuit in India. To file for separation in UK, you would have to contact a divorce lawyer in UK.