Shree Krishna Bhattarai, who resigned as district judge on moral grounds after appointment of Chief Justice (CJ) Hari Krishna Karki, has sought divorce from his first wife 24 years after his second marriage.
Bhattarai had resigned on June 26 pointing that he could not work under CJ Karki having lodged complaint against Karki with the Parliamentary Hearing Committee arguing that the latter should not be appointed CJ.
He has applied for divorce from his first wife Mithu, whom he had married in 1985, just two weeks later making allegations against character of the mother of his two daughters both of whom are married now. His application has also revealed that he had married Sharada Silwal on December 12, 1999.
Bhattarai has claimed that he was just 15 years old when he was forcefully married to a 25-year-old woman by his parents. He has stated that he knew his marriage with Mithu was illegal after he started to study law but resisted from lodging a case as his own father would have been jailed on charge of child marriage.
He has accused his first wife of having physical relationship with multiple men after their marriage, and claimed that he is not father of the two daughters. He has added that he agreed for their birth registration as his daughters and paid for their wedding only on grounds of humanity under pressure from his family.
His only son from the second wife died in a road accident in America on November 26, 2021
He has stressed that he had verbal agreement with Mithu for divorce, and pointed that she had been staying with her parents and didn’t even lodge a complaint against his second marriage.
His daughters have accused him of treating their mother inhumanely and making false allegations against her character, and trying to render her homeless at this age 38 years after marriage.
A source close to his family has told Setopati that the allegations made by Bhattarai are completely false. “Mithu has been accused of bad character at an old age. He had married after he liked her. He has now tried to prove it as a forced marriage. Anyone from Phedikuna of Sundar Bazar 9 in Lamjung can tell the truth. He is trying to divorce an old Mithu now to ensure that he does not have to give her properties and pension,” the source added.
Mithu has told Setopati that she still lives at the place where she was brought as a bride by Bhattarai. She has added that she has received nothing from her husband until now and stated that he has lodged the case to deny her share of his properties.
“I had heard about his second marriage and birth of a son. I had tolerated everything until now. Two daughters are married. Where can I go at this old age? I have suffered injustice.”
