CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday exhorted the party MPs to raise their voice in Parliament to ensure legal recognition for self-respect marriages across the country.
“The DMK government headed by the then Chief Minister CN Annadurai gave legal status to self-respect marriages by amending legislation. In due course, self-respect marriages became popular. Former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has advised us to work for bringing in a legislation to recognise self-respect marriages across the country,” the DMK president said while presiding over the marriage of the daughter of party MP Thamizachi Thangapandian and son of Dr R Mahendran, joint secretary, the party’s IT Wing here.
Referring to the speech of R Mahendran that the DMK has been registering victory continuously in all elections, the Chief Minister said, “The DMK will register a big win in whatever election that is to come in future.” In 1967, the DMK government amended the Hindu Marriage Act by introducing Section 7A, permitting ‘Suyamariyathai’ (self-respect) and ‘Seerthiruttha’ (reformist) marriages as legal when solemnised in the presence of friends, relatives or any other person by exchanging garlands or rings or by tying a mangalsutra or by a declaration in the language understood by both parties that they accept each other to be their spouse. The law was passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on November 27, 1967.