Govt appoints delegates to aid Parsi couple divorce cases

The Telangana government has issued an order appointing 15 members from the Parsi community here as delegates to a panel for aiding courts in divorce cases pertaining to Parsi couples.
The move will come as a legal relief for many such couples whose cases have been pending for the last few years.
The Telangana government recently issued an order appointing 15 members from the community here as delegates under the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act 1936.
Percy Homi Italia, a member of the State Minorities Commission which serves both the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, today said that under the Act, when a Parsi files for divorce in court in a state, members of the community from there should also be present (in aiding adjudication of the case).

"So, in each state, the government chooses 15 people (committee of delegates) of reasonable standing (from the community)," he said, adding, the 10-year term of the previous panel of 15 members had expired some four-five years ago.
With this December 5 order, divorce cases can be decided by a court in quick time with the aid of these 15 persons (at least seven of them have to be present during such hearing), Italia said.

As of now, three divorce cases have been pending here for the past three years, he said.
The Commission Chairman, Abid Rasool Khan, said the state government issued the order for the establishment of this Zoroastrian divorce committee on the recommendations of the Commission.

"There are about 1200 to 1400 Zoroastrians (Parsis) (in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh put together) and this order of the government will go a long way in providing the legal relief in the said subject, which is long pending," Khan said.