By Asia Samachar | India |
Maharashtra has taken steps to implement the Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act, allowing Sikhs to finally register their marriages under the legislation instead of the Hindu Marriage Act.
On February 25, the state’s minority department had issued directives to all departmental commissioners for the statewide implementation of the Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act.
In 2012, the Indian Parliament passed the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, bringing Sikh traditional marriages under the purview of legal recognition, and allowing them to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act.
However, Sikhs were not able to make avail of the legislation as it needed to be passed by the various state governments. Along with that, it required local authorities to put in place registration mechanism.
In essence, the state government’s minority development department has simplified the process of marriage registration and certification for the Sikh community, Maharashtra State Punjabi Sahitya Academy executive chairman Bal Malkit Singh told a local media.
“This is a landmark step that ensures there is no need for individual petitions to municipal bodies. It will bring about a simplified and seamless marriage registration process, and ensure trouble-free issuance of marriage certificates. It awards legal recognition to Anand Karaj marriages in Maharashtra,” he said.
“The department promptly took cognisance and issued a letter on Feb 25 to all departmental commissioners. A copy was provided to us on March 3, confirming the statewide implementation of the act,” Singh said.
“In Maharashtra, the rules were framed in 2020 but with no practical implementation, sometimes forcing couples to register under other legislations. Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation became the first city in Maharashtra to implement the new Act in 2020,” he added.
The academy and the 11-member Sikh Coordination Committee, Government of Maharashtra, had submitted a representation on February 6 to the Minority Development Department secretary Ruchesh to implement the Act to ensure seamless registration and issuance of marriage certificates, repoted the Free Press Journal.
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