NEW DELHI: The Law Commission of India on Tuesday recommended that marriage registrations should be made compulsory in the country. The step would put an end to women who are often denied the legal status of wife in absence of any records.
The commission submitted its 270th report to the Ministry of Law and Justice which stated, “Due to absence of marriage certificates, women are deprived of societal recognition and legal security. Such fraudulent marriages are especially on rise among non-resident Indians.”
The commission said, a minor amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 196 by including the provision of compulsory registration of marriage would serve the purpose. The law panel also proposed a penalty of five rupees per day in case of delay in registration of marriage without a reasonable cause with a capping of `100. In 2006, the Supreme Court had suggested that marriages of all Indians should be registered compulsorily.
In 2012, a bill was tabled in Parliament based on the observations made by the SC. The amendment bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in July, 2013, but could not be taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha. It lapsed on the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.