SURAT: In an example of courts going tech-savvy, a couple got their divorce approval from local court after the statement of the husband living in the US was recorded through video conferencing on Saturday.
The divorce approval was announced on Tuesday after the couple agreed to all the terms. Court of T K Gurnani, principal judge, family court, approved the divorce application.
Amish Jivan and his wife Dipti Gheewala lived together only for six days after getting married in 2008. Jivan then went to the US for his business and never returned.
The couple remained separated for the four years and agreed to get separated legally after mutual understanding that they could not continue the relationship.
“As expected, it was not possible for Jivan to remain present in India during legal procedure and according to law, the person himself or his attorney should remain present in the court. In this case, Jivan handed over the power of attorney to his relative who filed the divorce application,” said Hemant Topiwala, lawyer for the couple.
“The couple had difference of opinion since the day of marriage following which they decided to mutually discontinue the relationship,” he said.
It was second marriage of both the individuals and after meeting each other through a common friend, they decided to marry. The marriage took place on December 23, 2008 and Jivan left for the US on December 29. Due to busy schedule in his fast food business, he could not return to India, his lawyer informed.
The court used live video chat software available online and the video conferencing was carried out on a laptop.
“The court asked Jivan to identify his signature and the people related to case. After confirmation, his statement was recorded and his application was approved,” said Topiwala.
The couple decided on a one-time settlement amount of Rs 21 lakh, which Jivan agreed to pay Dipti. After the application was filed in August 2011, the court asked the couple to discuss compromise for six months. However, they could not reach to any agreement.
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