Man marries transwoman in Odisha with wife’s ’consent’

Mangalore Today News Network

Narla, Sep 14, 2022: A 32-year-old man married a transwoman at a temple in Narla in Odisha’s Kalahandi district with the prior approval of his wife, who has not only accepted their marriage but agreed to stay with the transwoman under the same roof.

 

Notably, the man--father of a two-year-old son--met the transwoman last year at Ambadola in Rayagada district, when she was begging on the streets. For the man, it was love at first sight. He took the transwoman’s mobile number and kept in touch with her.

A month ago, the man’s wife got a hunch about her husband’s regular conversations with the transwoman. On confronting him, the man admitted to having an affair with the transwoman and told his wife he was serious about the relationship. His wife agreed to accept the transwoman in her family.

After obtaining his wife’s approval, the man solemnised his marriage with the transwoman at a small function in the presence of limited guests, including members of the transgender community, at a temple in Narla.

Meanwhile, senior advocate of Orissa High Court Srinivas Mohanty told India Today the second marriage, be it with a woman or a transgender, in a Hindu family, is not permissible as per Indian Law. "If a second marriage takes place, it is void and amenable to penal action as per Indian Law," said Mohanty.

If a man marries a second time while his first marriage still exists, the Hindu law terms the first marriage as ‘subsistence’ at the time of the second marriage. It means the man remains married to his first wife even after the second marriage, added Mohanty.

Meanwhile, president of the Transgender Association in the area Kamini, who took a lead in organising the wedding of the duo, said, "After the wedding, we also went to the police station to inform them about the marriage...the police said they have little to do in the matter."

Inspector in-charge of Narla police station told media, "If a complaint is filed on any such incident (transgender marriage) by an aggrieved party, then only we will proceed as per law."

However, the newlywed couple, who didn’t wish to be identified, said they are very happy about the union. "Even my wife is happy and we are not concerned about the law," said the man.

Courtesy: India Today