Patna man files defamation suit against son for inter-caste marriage

A man in Bihar disowned his son and filed a defamation case against him Saturday for marrying out of caste.

Sidhnath Sharma, a Patna lawyer, also asserted that his son Sushant Jasu could no longer use his name and will have to pay Rs.10,000 copyright fees every time he used it.

Filing a defamation suit of Rs.1 crore against his son in the court at Danapur here, Sharma said: "My image and honour was hurt by my son, who solemnized an inter-caste marriage against our wishes, now he must compensate for it..."

Sushant Jasu, who works for the central government as a senior tax assistant in Gujarat's Palampur town, married a girl, a resident of Danapur, Patna who works in a private bank on Nov 19, 2013.

An angry Sharma said: "... I and my wife spent time and money to nurse my son for years but he betrayed us. He fell in love with a girl who came into his life two years ago only."

He claimed his son's act has ended a nearly 400-year-old family tradition of marrying within their own caste.

In Bihar, inter-caste marriages, though encouraged by the government, are still largely considered taboo and those who do it generally face hostility from their families and society.

In a bid to encourage such marriages, the state government last year decided to double the incentive for it. Under the scheme, a woman marrying out of caste will now get Rs.50,000 instead of Rs.25,000.