MUMBAI: In a bid to prevent a repeat of Shraddha Walker case, the Maharashtra government has set up a committee to address issues related to inter-caste and inter-faith marriages. The move has drawn widespread criticism from the Opposition.
The 12-member panel, to be headed by Women and Child Development Minister and BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, will comprise government officials as well as people from the non-government sector.
The committee will gather information about the couples in such marriages.
It will also contact their families to know the status of the marriage, and details of the women if they are not in touch with their families. The panel will also help the families get counselled by experts if the marriage took place against their will.
The panel will collect data about marriages conducted at religious places and ascertain whether they are registered. A platform to resolve and conflicts arising from such marriages is also being planned.
The committee will also study all the issues and lacunae in inter-caste and inter-religion marriages, following which it will submit a report to the state government for bringing about the necessary changes in the present laws, if any.
The government’s move invited criticism from the Opposition, with NCP MLA and former minister Jitendra Ahwad saying the government is violating its own law by interfering in people’s private lives.
“How to get married and who to get marry is an individual choice where the government has no role to play. By setting up this committee, the incumbent government wants to bring back the 5,000-year-old caste system,” Ahwad said.