Tatkal marriage registration cost may go down by half

The cost of getting a one-day tatkal marriage certificate from a Delhi government office may soon come down from the current Rs 10,000 if a proposal for downward revision is accepted by the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet.

The Revenue Department wants to reduce the cost of the tatkal facility as it has got complaints that the provisions are being misused by some “vested interests” by making couples opt for the high-cost route even when they are not in any hurry to get their marriage certificate, said an official.

The cost of tatkal marriage certificate may be brought down by 50 per cent or more, he said. A normal registration of marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act requires a fee of Rs 100 and the process takes about two weeks. Registration of marriage under the Special Marriage Act requires a fee of Rs 150 and the process is completed within 60 days.
“We were told about a few cases in which the couples who went to get their marriage registered were made to shell out the Rs 10,000 even when they were not looking for a one-day service,” said a top official.

“The proposal to bring down tatkal rates is to check such incidents,” said the official, adding most run-away couples or lovers who marry against wishes of families get duped by touts to use tatkal marriage certificates.

A source in the Revenue Department said due to middlemen registration of marriage in some NCR towns costs up to Rs 50,000 which includes verification of address and arranging witnesses for couples who wish to get their marriage registered.
“Probably, it is people from other states who easily get misled into using the Rs 10,000 tatkal provision of marriage registration after staying in the city for the stipulated one month period,” he said.

The provision for tatkal marriage certificate was introduced last year after the department envisaged a huge rush of marriage registration following a Supreme Court direction for compulsory registration of wedlocks.

“But no big marriage registration rush has been visible in the city except in the central district where almost a 1,000 marriages are being registered in a month,” said an official.
In the entire city, around 1,500-1,700 marriages are registered every month.
“Only a small percentage of marriages are registered under the tatkal scheme, so there is no threat of losing out on revenue by reducing the cost of the one-day certificate service,” said an official.

The order which created the provision for tatkal marriage certificate was called the Delhi (Compulsory Registration of Marriage) Order 2014. It extended to all marriages solemnised in Delhi irrespective of caste, creed and religion professed by the parties to the marriage.

Not registering a marriage within 60 days of the solemnisation carries an additional fee. If you register the marriage between 61 and 120 days, the addition fee is Rs 500.
If you do not register your marriage within the stipulated period or grace period, you are liable to pay a penalty of Rs 1,000 which is imposed by a marriage officer when you go for marriage registration any time later.