Marriage registration: Delhi may ease rules

The Delhi government is considering of relaxing its rules so that getting married in the Capital becomes easier, at a time when "honour-killing" of couples from same castes and communities have been regularly hitting the headlines. HT reports.

The Delhi government is considering of relaxing its rules so that getting married in the Capital becomes easier, at a time when "honour-killing" of couples from same castes and communities have been regularly hitting the headlines.

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The move will relax an age-old clause in the Delhi Hindu Marriage Registration Rules, 1956, under which a marriage can be registered in the city if the couple proves that either of them or parents of at least one of them have been a resident of Delhi for at least 30 days.

Sources said that the move would either remove or amend the rule to turn the requirement from 30 days to one day. Thus, anyone who has been living in Delhi for a day will be eligible to register his/her marriage.

The Delhi Cabinet is likely to discuss this matter on Monday. This was one of the agendas in last week's Cabinet meeting but could not be discussed as the Chief Secretary was not present.

"The matter will be discussed on Monday as the government has been considering this for sometime now. This will provide relief to special marriage cases especially in the neighbouring states," said a senior government official.

The move is expected to turn the Capital into a safe haven for couples seeking refuge from the wrath of caste-based community panchayats like 'khaps', that have been issuing diktats against couples from same castes in North India.

Couples wanting to get their marriages registered in the city have been facing difficulty because of the particular clause. The move comes against the backdrop of several cases of honour killing taking place in the city as well.