Registration under the Hindu Marriage Act seems to be a thing of the past, at least in the city. The reasons are technical and not religious In the last one year there has not been a single registration in the Corporation under Hindu Marriage Act.
A marriage which has already been solemnised through a social function can be registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 or under the Common Marriage Act, 2008. The Hindu Marriage Act is applicable only in cases where both husband and wife are Hindus, Buddhists, Jains or Sikhs or if they have converted to any of these religions.
When both the husband and wife belong to the same religion be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian or any other religion, the marriage can be registered under the Common Marriage Act.
Though ‘Hindus Buddhists, Jains or Sikhs’ or those who have “converted to any of these religions” have a choice to follow either the Hindu marriage Act or Common Marriage Act, there seems to be a marked preference for the latter.
The technical advancement that comes with the Common Marriage Act is the main reason for the increased preference, says the staff with the marriage registration wing of the Kochi Corporation.
“In the case of Common Marriage Act, the photographs of the couples and other details are available on the certificate. Moreover, in the Common Marriage Act, registration is given as a certificate with the government emblem while in the Hindu Marriage Act it is still on a stamp paper. All these explain why Common Marriages Act registration is more in demand,” said an employee with the marriage registration of the Corporation.
After the passage of the Common Marriage Act in 2008, there has been a steady decline in the number of couples following the Hindu Marriage Act.
In 2008, out of the total of 1,455 marriages registered in Kochi Corporation, as many as 671 was under the Hindu Marriage Act. This declined to 237 out of 2,818 in 2009. By 2010 only four marriages were registered under the Hindu Marriage Act. This further declined to three in 2011. In 2012, out of the total 2,119 marriages registered in the Corporation, not even one has been registered under the Hindu Marriage Act.