Divorce cases in Gurgaon have doubled in 2 years: Lawyers

GURGAON: The number of couples in the city filing for divorce has doubled over the past couple of years, legal experts say, citing an alarming rise in the number of applications filed in the family court.
A combination of stress, the pressure of living the good life and partners unable to live up to each other's expectations is the major reason why marriages are going sour.Lawyers in the city who would receive 25 to 30 divorce cases a month a couple of years ago say the number is now between 50 and 60. Most couples opting for separation are young and come from affluent sections of society, an indicator of the lifestyle causes that are leading to relationship burnouts.
Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a city-based lawyer, says newly married couples struggling with compatibility issues are getting increasingly impatient and opting to walk out of marriages rather than work on it. "Most couples seeking separation earn big salaries and have high expectations from their partners. If that fails, they prefer to walk out rather than give the relationship another chance," he says.
Almost simultaneously, the number of people taking compatibility tests with their prospective partners has seen a sharp increase. Such tests are typically questionnaires in which both are graded on a behaviour index that matches their compatibility on 100 key behaviour areas in categories like communication, listening skills, teamwork, problem solving and signs of stress, among other things.
Richa S, a final-year management student who recently took a compatibility test, says it has made her unsure about her relationship. "I'm hopeful of landing a good job after completing my MBA after which I plan to get married. I took a compatibility test with my boyfriend out of curiosity but the results weren't encouraging. The compatibility level in three key behaviours was low. Now, we are having second thoughts," she says.
But for Pallavi, a BPO employee, the test not only helped her make up her mind but also managed to convince the parents. "I have great compatibility with my boyfriend, who is also a colleague. We plan to marry very soon," she says.
Gaurav Sareen, founder and managing partner of Perfiniti, a city-based compatibility matching service, says compatibility tests are a scientific way of cutting risks. "One doesn't know the partner so well while getting into a relationship. So, it's a good idea to take such tests," he says.