Gujarat announces changes in marriage registration rules to stop 'love jihad', misuse by 'antisocial' elements

'If a Salim disguises himself as a Suresh to trap a daughter of the state, the government will take such strict action that he will never dare to harm any daughter again in the future,' Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister said in his speech in the house.

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Friday announced that the state government was going to bring changes in the marriage registration procedure in the state to stop its misuse by "anti-social elements" and particularly by those who hide their identity to "trap daughters of Gujarat" for "Love Jihad."

Sanghavi announced the changes in the ongoing assembly session in state capital Gandhinagar which will become mandatory for obtaining a marriage registration certificate in the state. Under the new rule, the bride and groom will have to submit a declaration stating that they have informed their parents about the marriage, besides giving identity proof of their parents, phone numbers, residential proofs, among others. 

One of the major changes is a process under which the assistant registrar will have to notify the parents in ten days after receiving applications. "The Assistant Registrar shall forward the application to the concerned district or taluka registrar. After verification and ensuring compliance with Sub-Rules (1 to 7), the marriage shall be registered after completion of 30 days from the date of application," states the new rules.

These details will be uploaded by the registrar on a web portal which the state government is going to develop," Sanghavi said while giving details. While proposing the changes, Sanghavi said that new procedural changes were a result of the government's "commitment to saving the sanatan traditions and the marriage system."

"To ensure the safety of daughters and preserve the social structure, the government is going to make significant changes in the marriage registration process under the 'Gujarat Marriage Registration Act 2006.' As part of these changes, parents will now be included in the marriage registration process," he said.
"Anti-social elements had been misusing the process by hiding their identity to trap daughters of the state," Sanghavi said while citing cases of bogus marriage certificates issued in Panchmahal district. He said that in villages where there were no Muslims, hundreds of nikah certificates were issued. He also said that the government has sought suggestions and objections from citizens in 30 days before implementing these procedural changes.
He claimed that the government was not against love marriage but action will be taken against 'fraud' and 'coercion.' 
"If a Salim disguises himself as a Suresh to trap a daughter of the state, the government will take such strict action that he will never dare to harm any daughter again in the future," Sanghavi said in his speech in the house. He added that state minister of law and justice Kaushik Vekariya held around 30 meetings with various social organisations to take this decision. As a matter of fact, over the past several months, different social groups have held protests against inter-caste and inter-faith marriage in the state and demanded strict actions to stop it.