India: Father Sues Son for Marrying Low Caste Girl

A father in the northern Indian state of Bihar has sued his adult son for dishonouring him by marrying a low-caste girl.

The man named Sidh Nath Sharma in the town of Danapur has claimed Rs10m (£98,000) in damages from his son, Sushant Jasu.

Jasu, a tax worker, married a woman who is a bank official in November. The couple live in the western state of Gujarat. Sharma has even asked Jasu not to use his surname as it can highlight his caste.

"By marrying a girl out of our own caste my son has not only tarnished my reputation but also demolished nearly 400 years of my family tradition. Now he must compensate me for his misdeed... he should not even use my name as his father," Sharma, who said he had been hurt by his son's marriage, told the BBC.

"They say love is blind but love does not permit somebody to destroy and extinguish the previous love which he held with other members of his family," he said.

The lawsuit was filed in early January and the town court has begun hearing on the case.

Sharma told the judge that his son's decision to "fall in love" with the girl he married was not "proper".

"When a person doesn't have proper sleep he becomes restless and cannot take proper decision. Likewise my son after falling in love had become restless and couldn't take proper decision," he told Judge Tribuvan Nath.

Sharma is seeking his son's divorce with the girl's consent and said that Jasu should agree to marry a woman of his own caste.

Jasu's mother, three sisters and other family members attended the marriage "under emotional pressure," according to his father.

Jasu refused to comment on the lawsuit calling it a family matter.

Caste system greatly divides the Indian society in marriages, especially in a feudal society like Bihar's. However, the state government is striving to merge this divide by paying an incentive of Rs 50,000 to women having inter-caste marriages.