Next year: Register marriage or get fined

The Delhi government has finalised a draft bill of the proposed Delhi Marriage Registration Bill after making all the necessary changes. It has now been sent to the Home ministry for an approval.

Come next year and all newly weds will have to get their marriage registered, failing which they will be fined. The Delhi government has finalised a draft bill of the proposed Delhi Marriage Registration Bill after making all the necessary changes. It has now been sent to the Home ministry for an approval.

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“In the draft bill proposed by us, we had made it mandatory for all the couples to be physically present while getting the registration done. However, the ministry wants to make it people-friendly and hence if the documents are properly attested and fulfill all the criteria, the couples won’t have to be physically present at the spot,” said a Delhi government official.

The official added that only if the Registrar of Marriage feels that there is a need for the married couple to be present there, only then they will be called. “The draft will be approved by the ministry in a week’s time and we will then place it in the Delhi Assembly for an approval,” added an official.

Those failing to register their marriage within 60 days time will be fined a sum of R1,000. Also, those who furnish false statements will be fined and imprisoned for three months.

The bill is being brought as per the directions of the Supreme Court (SC) that had asked the state governments and the Centre to introduce a legislation to make registration of marriages compulsory. “In 2006, the SC had ruled that all marriages must be registered, while hearing a petition regarding the plight of women deserted by their husband,” said an official.