India's ambassador to Cuba ends up with 2 wives, SC seeks solution
The Gauhati HC had said once a marriage takes place in a church in terms with the Christian Marriage Act, 1872, it cannot be annulled by customary law practices involving village elders.
Such a marriage can only be dissolved through proceedings initiated before the HC or the district judge as per section 10 of the Divorce Act, 1869, it had said.
This HC ruling landed the Indian ambassador to Cuba, Thongkomang Armstrong Changsan, in a piquant matrimonial situation as he ended up with two wives. Prior to the HC declaring in 2022 that his 1994 church marriage with Neikhol Changsan subsisted, he had married another woman after the customary divorce.
From both marriages, he has a daughter each.
SC says it has no sympathy for Cuba envoy
After failure of the mediation ordered by the Supreme Court, during pendency of Changsan's appeal, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi on Friday orally observed that the HC judgment is legally sound. Finding that the Indian Foreign Service officer is now married for nearly a decade and half, it decided to find a solution to this legal-matrimonial complexity and help the first wife start a new life.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
No annual fees for life
UnionBank Credit Card
Apply Now
Undo
The ambassador said he has been paying a monthly maintenance of Rs 20,000 to Neikhol and has given her a house in Delhi.
Neikhol argued the case herself and told the court that she had single handedly brought up her daughter without any participation from her husband.
He manipulatively estranged her from daughter, says 1st wife
Neikhol, the first wife, alleged that he has now manipulatively estranged her daughter (29) from her. For the ambassador, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy said the father had been meeting the expenses of his daughter, who is pursuing a career in Bengaluru.
Neikhol appealed to SC to "protect her honour and dignity" while describing how surreptitiously Changsan dissolved the marriage using tribal community elders, and remarried. The Justice Kant-led bench said, "We have absolutely no sympathy for the man. The HC judgment is in your favour, and you have suffered socially and mentally. But can you think of a way to start life afresh?"
Interestingly, 'Kuki Inpi' of Assam, the highest governing body of the Kuki tribe in the state, has said Kuki customary law can neither dissolve a Christian marriage performed in church nor can it force any couple to reunite against the will of the couple.
SC said it could be profitable for Neikhol to meet her daughter and discuss future course of action, and asked the ambassador to arrange for her flight tickets to Bengaluru, a place of stay near her daughter's place, and pay her an ad hoc amount of Rs 3 lakh to enable her to meet her daughter.
"If at all there is a possibility of settlement, the daughter could have a significant role to play," Justice Kant said, adding that the IFS officer must advise his daughter to re-establish contact with her mother.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
9 minutes ago
- Mint
Were any Indian soldiers harmed in Operation Sindoor? Here's what government said
Rajnath Singh, while addressing the Opposition's questions in the Parliament about Operation Sindoor, said that no Indian Army soldiers were harmed during the joint military action. 'Were any of our brave soldiers harmed in this operation? The answer is, no, none of our soldiers were harmed...' the Defence Minister said, addressing the Operation Sindoor debate on Monday. Regarding the Opposition's questions about how many Indian aircraft had been downed during India's retaliatory attack, Rajnath Singh said those queries do 'not adequately represent our (India's) national sentiments.' In May, following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had claimed it shot down 3 Rafale Planes, 1 SU-30, 1 MIG-29 flown by India. Operation Sindoor was India's biggest, first joint military move against Pakistan since the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. The joint military action was launched on May 7, in retaliation to the lethal Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that killed as many as 26 civilians. Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had said his country's military shot down five Indian jets and took an unknown number of Indian soldiers prisoner, Bloomberg reported. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump – while claiming that he brokered the 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan during the conflict – also claimed that five aircraft had been downed, without mentioning explicitly if the jets belonged to India or Pakistan. (This is a developing story. Keep checking for more updates)
New Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Pahalgam-Operation Sindoor debate: Opposition slams Amit Shah for 'security lapses'
The Opposition on Monday held Union Home Minister Amit Shah accountable for the security lapses that led to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. During a special Lok Sabha debate on the Pahalgam strikes and Operation Sindoor, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi demanded answers from the government on critical national security concerns and questioned the silence surrounding key details. Gogoi called on the government to reveal how many Indian fighter jets were downed during Operation Sindoor, stating, "Each jet costs crores of rupees. The nation deserves to know. Our soldiers are being misled, and the truth must come out. The Defence Minister must clarify." Citing US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he leveraged trade pressure to broker peace between India and Pakistan, Gogoi asked, "Before whom did Prime Minister Modi surrender? Trump has said it 26 times, we cannot ignore that." He also slammed the government's narrative of military success, questioning the repeated declarations that India "entered and destroyed terror infrastructure" after the Uri and Pulwama attacks. "Now again, after Pahalgam, similar statements are being made. If Operation Sindoor is still incomplete and Pakistan remains a threat, then how is this being projected as a success?" he asked.
The Hindu
12 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Net FDI has fallen steeply, domestic investors gripped by 'fear': Congress slams government
, The Congress on Monday (July 28, 2025) claimed that the net foreign direct investment has fallen steeply while domestic investors are gripped by 'fear and uncertainty', as it asked the government to support incomes, end its 'crony capitalist and tax terrorism' policies, fix the GST, and protect Indian industries from Chinese dumping. The opposition party's assertion came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's reported remarks that India's private sector investment has not kept pace with the growing public expenditure. Also Read: Why has net FDI inflow plummeted? In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, 'The Finance Minister has finally acknowledged what the INC had been saying for a long time: that private investment continues to be sluggish and is not growing at the pace desired and also expected.' 'This is even after the significant corporate tax cuts of September 2019, undertaken just before the Howdy Modi event that was held in Houston in support of President Trump's re-election,' Mr. Ramesh said. He further said that net FDI has fallen steeply while domestic investors are gripped by 'fear and uncertainty' – thanks in large measure to 'tax terrorism and policies that only favour a couple of business groups'. 'The growth of mass markets for consumption goods is being hampered by a decade-long stagnant wages crisis and a flawed GST, which awaits fundamental reform,' Mr. Ramesh argued. 'Finally, the 'dumping' of cheap imports from China – which is taking place despite the loss of Indian territory in Ladakh – has also led to the closure of domestic manufacturing units, foreclosing the possibility of new investments,' he said. 'Acknowledgment is the first step. Now comes the hard part – the government needs to take action to support incomes, put an end to its crony capitalist and tax terrorism policies, fix the GST, and protect our industries from Chinese dumping,' Mr. Ramesh said. The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy, claiming the issues of rising prices, decreasing private investment, and stagnating wages were hitting the common people hard.
