Registration of marriages made mandatory
Tribune News Service


Dharamsala, November 1
The Himachal Pradesh Government has made registration of all
marriages in the state mandatory.

According to a recent notification, registration officers have been
nominated for the purpose.

Authoritative sources say the decision has been taken with a view to
safeguarding the interests of women. There have been instances of
husbands deserting their wives to get re-married.

Following implementation of the new rules, women would now be armed
with a marriage certificate to seek a legal remedy in case of any
desertion.

Mr Ravinder Bhardwaj, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department,
Shimla, said that the marriage might have been solemnised in
whichever traditional way, it would now be compulsory for the couples
to get it registered.

The Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Mr Shrikant Baldi, said till now it
had not been notified who would be the Registrar of marriages as the
terms and conditions of the Registration of Marriages Act, 1996, had
not been laid down. "But now, it has been specified that panchayat
secretaries and executive officers of nagar panchayats will have the
authority to issue marriage certificates," he said.

Besides avoiding legal disputes by keeping records of all marriages,
the provisions of the notification also aim at simplifying the
process of issuance of marriage certificates, especially to those
planning to go abroad.

While the subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) will act as additional
registrars, the Deputy Commissioner of the district will be the
District Registrar, he said.

Till now, he said, marriage certificates were issued to interested
parties under the Special Marriages Act. "But it involved a very
cumbersome procedure, including a fixed period for inviting
objections after a public notice. The new notification would make the
process of issuance of certificates much easier," he said.

The new rule is applicable from the date of notification and newly-
wed couples need to apply on a format specified by the Social Welfare
Department to the registrar of their area. "We are in the process of
putting the system in place by getting the certificates printed and
ensuring that proper registers are maintained in all subdivisions,"
said the Deputy Commissioner.

Asked if any penalty had been fixed for those not getting their
marriage registered, Mr Baldi said that just like registration of
birth, it was in the interest of the couples to secure the
certificate. "The applications should come in within a month without
late fee and within 90 days with a late fee of Rs 5," he said.

Mr Bhardwaj said that although his department had issued the draft
notifications, the final gazette notification by the government would
be issued shortly.