'Inform parents': Gujarat may tweak marriage norms

GANDHINAGAR: The BJP govt successful Gujarat has projected 'anti-love jihad' amendments to matrimony registration rules that would necessitate couples to pass their parents earlier registering their national - a determination welcomed by AAP, met with soundlessness by the Congress and flagged by ineligible experts arsenic a imaginable law violation.Under the draught rules introduced successful the assembly Friday, couples seeking to registry their matrimony volition person to taxable an undertaking stating whether they person informed their parents. The adjunct registrar volition notify the parents of some bride and groom electronically, including implicit WhatsApp, oregon done carnal communication.Registration volition beryllium granted wrong 30 days aft verification, with each submitted details uploaded to a govt portal. Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi, who introduced the projected changes, said the govt had thing against "love marriage" but couldn't let deception successful the sanction of communal consent. "Innocent girls are being trapped and specified practices are spreading similar termites successful society. Salim masquerading arsenic Suresh volition not beryllium allowed," helium said. Citing instances from Panchmahal district, Sanghavi said investigations were ordered aft nikaah certificates were allegedly issued successful villages wherever determination was nary mosque oregon adjacent a azygous Muslim family.

In villages specified arsenic Kankodakui and Nathkuva, hundreds of specified certificates were allegedly issued by talati-cum-mantris (village panchayat secretaries), Sanghavi said. In the assembly, AAP legislator Hemant Ahir, who had moved a backstage member's measure connected akin lines earlier successful the week, congratulated the govt connected tabling the projected amendments. "Changes successful the rules were the request of the hour. There were respective loopholes successful the rules," helium said. BJP MLA Lavingji Thakor, a beardown proponent of stricter norms, said the determination would payment families of each communities. Congress stayed mum. Several assemblage organisations, including those representing the Patidar and Kshatriya Thakor groups, person agelong pressed for mandatory parental engagement successful emotion marriages. Over the past 3 months, arsenic galore arsenic 30 meetings were held betwixt the authorities govt and representatives of assorted organisations to finalise the changes. Legal experts said the connection mightiness not basal judicial scrutiny. "This infringes upon the cardinal rights guaranteed nether Article 21 of the Constitution," said advocator Mahesh Baria. Fellow advocator Nilesh Bhavsar said portion the govt had described the measurement arsenic specified intimation, parental objections could perchance power registration decisions, starring to litigation.