The Supreme Court has directed several states and union territories to notify the rules for registering “Anand Karaj” or the Sikh wedding ceremony within a period of four months.
The apex court said that in a secular framework that respects religious identity and ensures civic equality, the law must provide a neutral and workable route for recording and certifying marriages through “Anand Karaj” on the same footing as other marriages.
This comes as several states and union territories have yet to notify the rules for registering a marriage under the Anand Marriage Act 1909, even after the 2012 amendment.
What is the Anand Marriage Act?
The Anand Marriage Act, recognising “Anand Karaj” as a form of marriage, was initiated under British rule in 1909. The Sikh marriage ceremony, known as Anand Karaj, was first introduced by Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Guru of the Sikhs. It means "act towards happiness" or "act towards a happy existence." The core of the Anand Karaj is the 'lavan,' wherein hymns are sung with the bride and groom circumambulating the Guru Granth Sahib.
Despite being in existence for over a century, the law wasn't implemented till 2012, when both houses of the Union Parliament passed the Anand Marriage Amendment Bill 2012. Sikh traditional marriages were legalised by amending the Anand Marriage Act of 1909, thereby allowing them to be registered. Those couples who have registered their marriages under the amended Anand Marriage Bill will not have to register their marriages under any other law.
Before the amendment, all Sikh marriages were registered under the ‘Hindu Marriage Act’.
{{/usCountry}}Before the amendment, all Sikh marriages were registered under the ‘Hindu Marriage Act’.
{{/usCountry}}The states and union territories were supposed to frame rules to implement the Anand Marriage Act 1909 with the 2012 amendment. But despite years passing, many states and UTs have yet to frame the rules, putting the law's implementation in limbo. The latest Supreme Court direction has now put a clock on such states and UTs.