61 year old files Dowry Case

BANGALORE: You would think a woman who is 60 plus would not be harassed for dowry. That too a woman whose husband had deserted her years ago. In namma Bengaluru, a 61-year-old woman has filed a case against her 65-year-old husband, his second wife and nine others of harassing her for dowry. The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court has referred the case to JC Nagar police and directed them to investigate.

Venkatalakshmi married P Somappa (65) in 1966 and has five children. Somappa, who was working as an engineer in Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, deserted her many years ago and began living with his second wife and children in R T Nagar. In her complaint, Venkatalakshmi said that their marriage was registered in Bangalore North sub-registrar's office in 1966. Though she was the legal heir for Somappa's retirement benefits, the latter had nominated his second wife as the nominee.

Of late, Somappa and members of his second family were constantly harassing her to ask her brothers to give them money. Of her children, one is a widow and another is yet to get married. The other children are still studying and she could not afford to meet the requirement of her husband's family, Venkatalakshmi said.

Venkatalakshmi has sought the court's intervention to ensure that she and her children got financial support from her husband. The court has directed the police to investigate.