UP govt conducts inquiry into marriages registered at Ghaziabad SRO

At least 6,000 marriages are registered in Ghaziabad annually of which 4,000 are registered at SRO (sadar), said stamps department officials

The Uttar Pradesh government’s stamps department is conducting an inquiry into marriages registered in the Ghaziabad sub-registrar office (SRO fifth) to check for alleged violations in the registration process, officials said on Thursday. The inquiry is being conducted by a 10-member committee of the department under the direction of the Allahabad high court.

UP govt conducts inquiry into marriages registered at Ghaziabad SRO

At least 6,000 marriages are registered in Ghaziabad annually of which 4,000 are registered at SRO (sadar), said stamps department officials.

“We have picked up 4,000 records of marriage registrations and are conducting an inquiry to check for any violation. The report will soon be submitted before the court. As directed, our focus in the inquiry is to find out the registrations done on the date of marriage and also cases where the parents of the couple arrived as witnesses. The committee is headed by DIG (stamps), Meerut. The inquiry is to be conducted for Ghaziabad,” said Pushpendra Kumar, assistant inspector general (AIG, stamps).

On February 24, the Allahabad high court, while hearing a petition by a Gautam Budh Nagar resident, had said that the office of marriage registration at the SRO “is regularly issuing marriage certificates in violation of terms of circular dated October 10, 2024.” In a hearing on March 3, the court had said: “The IG (stamp) is directed to conduct an inquiry whether the terms of circular dated October 10, 2024, have been followed in the office of SRO office, (Sadar fifth), district Ghaziabad at the time of registration of marriage.”

The circular in question, issued by the department on October 10, 2024, listed 10 points that have to be adhered to for compliance with Uttar Pradesh marriage registration rules, 2017.

The circular said that the bride and groom will be identified based on their consent and submission of proof, details of two witnesses from each side will be recorded digitally, photos of the bride and groom and their respective witnesses and biometrics will be recorded digitally, and the registration officer will take up registration after verification of date of birth of the bride and groom, among others.

The court also directed IG (stamps) to count the number of marriages registered in the Meerut region, sub-registrar office wise and make a submission on it in the next hearing on March 10.

Officials said that the stamp department takes up registration of marriages once the married couple arrive with proof of marriage.

“They can come the same day as their marriage or later. The rules say that once the wedding is performed, the marriage can be registered. If they are consenting couples and are adults as per law,” said an official.