Couples in Delhi are increasingly filing for separation even before going for mediation(Representational)

Couples in Delhi are increasingly opting out of counselling to save their marriages and are filing for separation even before going for mediation, officials said.

Till November last year, police received 253 such cases, whereas in 2017 the number was at 412.

A senior official in the Special Police Unit For Women and Children, which deals with such cases, said couples first talk to each and later involve their families, if they are not able to get the solution.

"After taking everyone's suggestion, they finally come to the police with their problems if they do not get a positive conclusion," Geeta Rani Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (SPUWAC), said.

The reason for not opting for mediation is that both husband and wife these days are working and are capable of bearing their own expenses, said Madhu Kalia, an advocate who deals with such cases, adding that earlier women were not educated enough to take care of their children.

A senior police officer said a lot of reasons lead to such situations and thus there is a rise for not opting for mediation. The officer also blamed lack of background checks before marriage for such incidents.

Nowadays, couples are more mature and they make up their minds for divorce before approaching anyone, Ms Kalia said, elaborating the reason for the rise in such cases.

She said couples sometimes don't even have concrete reasons for separation and often they say that their wavelengths don't match.

Earlier, many NGOs used to work to save marriages but nowadays we do not have such organisations effectively working on marriage counselling, another lawyer said.

The ratio of divorce in both love and arranged marriages are almost the same, the lawyer said.