"90 Day Fiance: The Other Way" brought the news that Sumit had a secret. Widely rumored that he's already married, he called off the ring ceremony he promised Jenny. Now, Jenny's totally distraught and she thinks that Sumit could see the inside of a jail for his adultery. Over on Instagram, fans of the TLC show debate whether that's actually true. But, it looks like new laws in India suggest it's unlikely.
Jenny cried as Sumit of '90 Day Fiance' might go to jail
Jenny's got a lot to cry about. Well, that's if the rumors that she already knew Sumit married ages back turn out untrue.
For the sake of ease, it's perhaps better to run with the version of the "90 Day Fiance" show that currently plays out on our screens. The Sumit, Jenny timeline's quite involved. In short, Reality TV World broke it down for fans.
- "Jenny traveled to India to meet Sumit before the pair began starring on "90 Day Fiance," but the initial four-month trip was cut short when Sumit learned his parents disapproved of the romance and would not allow them to get married."
- Returning later, Sumit found an apartment for them, telling her he needed to keep their relationship secret from the family.
- They lived together with him promising a ring ceremony, but he let her down on that.
- In the meantime, he told her he needed to leave Mumbai and visit his parents so they never got suspicious about her.
- But, it seems he went away for two weeks as he's already married and hoped his family would not find out about Jenny.
- Jenny now knows this and "had a meltdown." It came after someone pitched on her doorstep telling her Sumit already married his daughter.
Jenny melts down in tears, stuck in India, will Sumit go to jail?
In the show this week, we saw Jenny totally meltdown.
That's a serious cry-face. During her sobbing, she said to a camera, "They're threatening to put him jail, and I don't know what to do!" Over on the 90dayfiancecraycray account on Instagram, fans debated whether that held true. Some fans of "90 Day Fiance" suggested that Muslims can marry multiple wives. Others noted adultery may become a problem for Hindus.
But, some of them grow a bit confused over recent changes to the marriage laws in India.
The BBC noted that marriage in Hindu families is pretty much sacrosanct. Until 2018, the law stated that adultery could be punishable. However, they noted this really related to men having affairs with married women. In 2018, "India's top court has ruled adultery is no longer a crime, striking down a 158-year-old colonial-era law which it said treated women as male property.
Previously any man who had s*x with a married woman, without the permission of her husband, had committed a crime." They could face jail time before the new laws. How does that apply to "90 Day Fiance's" Sumit who lived with Jenny while he was married?
Hindus marrying two women at the same time is an offense
With Jenny claiming Sumit could go to jail, maybe the incident could get investigated, at least. According to Parasshuram Shalgar, editor of panasiabiz.com and fellow writer/editor with Blasting News, if "90 Day Fiance's" Sumit actually did the ring promise ceremony and became engaged, then he could likely face prosecution. If he never got engaged and never did the formal ceremony he's probably in the clear.
That's because "If he is not married to the other woman [Jenny]...he can't face jail." However, "If he gets engaged, he will face jail, but only if he's a Hindu." They added, "If he is a Muslim he can marry many women." Plus, "Hindus can't get engaged or married while their current wife is still alive," he notes.
So, it looks like Sumit pulling out of the ring ceremony and an official engagement may find its roots in that. However, the "90 Day Fiance" couple did consult with an immigration specialist about getting married, Reality TV World reminded us. Of course, this could be viewed as intent to marry Jenny while already married. But, it seems a long shot for officials to take that to trial and try to set another precedent in the complexities of Indian law.
Basically, Sumit seems to be a simple seducer, cheat and a catfish. The Times of India noted on the new court ruling about marriage, that "To decode the judgment, the court has only decriminalised adultery." However, it could be grounds for arising civil issues including divorce.
While all the information available seems to suggest that it's rather unlikely that Sumit faces a jail term for his adultery, as Jenny claims, we should also note that Indian laws and the application of them in moral society may cause complications.
Remember to follow the Reality TV Channel on Blasting News for more news and rumors about "90 Day Fiance."
