An Indian woman who is suing her biological parents for abandoning her at birth said Wednesday she is determined to get justice as a court set next month for the start of the hearing.
Judge Gurnam Singh fixed August 24 for the beginning of the civil suit in which 28-year-old Dimple Menezes is seeking one million rupees (23,000 dollars) compensation for her education and other costs of her upbringing.
The landmark case to be heard in the northern town of Taran Tarn in Punjab state marks the first time in India a child has sued parents for abandonment.
Menezes told AFP her case would highlight the plight of thousands of female infants dumped at birth or killed by parents in a country where sons are prized.
"It's more than just a case. Let this be a reminder to those parents who do not hesitate to shirk their responsibilities minutes after bringing a new life on to earth," Menezes, a computer software engineer, said by telephone from Taran Tarn.
The desire for a son is a deeply rooted social phenomenon in India and many parents fear the burden of dowry costs of a daughter that can be crippling for a family.
Dowry is still widely practised despite being outlawed and can range from demands for cash to cars, jewels, apartments or more.
The hearing was originally due to begin Wednesday but the judge delayed the start to give the father, Sukhdev Singh, time to prepare his response after he sought legal help to frame his reply.
"I'm really disappointed as I will now have to wait for another month or so for the trial to re-start but I'm determined to get justice for what has been done to me," said Menezes, now married to a financial consultant.
Menezes, abandoned outside a hospital in Taran Tarn soon after she and her twin sister were born on May 7, 1977, said she stayed away from court Wednesday because she could not bring herself to face her natural father, a Sikh priest.
She was raised by Sulochana Christbell Karanjia, medical superintendent of a Catholic-run hospital in the town, who said she found the child in the streets "wailing, surrounded by hungry, stray dogs."
Lawyer S.P. Chopra said Menezes was seeking justice under India's Adoption and Maintenance Act which obliges birth parents to care for their children.
Menezes' mother Harbhajan Kaur returned to Taran Tarn from her eastern home town of Gorakhpur to reclaim the child when she was 12 but the child wished to stay with her foster mother.
Kaur reappeared on the scene in 2003 when Karanjia found a Christian groom for Dimple, Eric Menezes. Kaur opposed the Christian marriage and wanted Dimple to marry into a Sikh family.
Menezes' 31-year-old husband says he wants to start afresh with his wife in Kuwait where he is due to start a new job in August.
"I want my wife to forget about her past, I want to get on with life, I want my wife to forget her dark memories in India," Eric Menezes said.
Government figures show that female infanticide has brought down India's sex ratio to 960 females for every 1,000 males from 972 females for every 1,000 males in 1901.
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