Even two months after a metropolitan magistrate ordered her in-laws to allow her in the matrimonial home, 36-year-old Bilkis Sheikh is still waiting for compliance of the order. Sheikh’s in-laws have moved an appeal against the magistrate’s order contending that they don’t stay in the house that Sheikh claims is her matrimonial house.
“Sheikh is claiming that the house no G 198 is her matrimonial house but my clients don’t stay in that house,” said advocate Aquel Ahmed Shaikh, who is representing Sheikh’s in-laws.
According to Ahmed’s appeal, witnesses were not examined and the magistrate had not examined the genuineness of Sheikh’s documents.
Though the sessions court admitted their appeal, it did not grant a stay on the magistrate’s order.
Sheikh had married Faisal Ahmed in 1995 after which she began staying at Behramnagar at Khar. “I lived with my brother-in-law Mehboob, his wife Zaibun and their children — Javed and Jayed,” said Sheikh.
However, Faizal died on May 9, last year. “After my husband’s death, I continued staying in my matrimonial house with my son, whom I had adopted from one of my brothers,” Sheikh said.
“Everything was fine till June 2009. However, on June 18 last year, a fire engulfed the area where I live and destroyed my house,” said Sheikh. Her house needed immediate renovation, she said.
“My in-laws requested me to go to my mother’s house for a few days till they renovated the house,” said Sheikh. “I went to my mother’s house thinking that I would be called soon to live in my matrimonial house,” said Sheikh.
However, she said she was never called back. “Even in the survey conducted by Mhada, they did not given my name as a resident of that house”, added Sheikh.
Sheikh said that when she went back to the house she was thrown out. “My in-laws told me I don’t have any rights over the house and I could not stay with them,” said Sheikh.
“We filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act because Sheikh was thrown out of her own house and did not have any other shelter,” said her advocate Farhana Shah.
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