New Delhi, Sep 18: The Supreme Court has directed all states and union territories to frame and notify rules within four months for registering marriages solemnised under the Sikh ceremony of Anand Karaj, under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 (as amended in 2012).
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said in a secular framework, the law must provide a neutral and workable route for recording Anand Karaj marriages on the same footing as other marriages. “Where the law recognises Anand Karaj yet leaves no machinery to register it, the promise is only half kept,” the court observed.
The top court noted that while some states and UTs had notified rules under Section 6 of the Act, several had not. It directed those jurisdictions to create a workable registration system for Anand Karaj marriages, stressing that uneven access undermines civil equality.
Until such rules are notified, the bench ordered that existing marriage-registration frameworks must receive and process Anand Karaj marriages without discrimination, recording the ceremony type if requested by the parties.
Specific instructions were issued to Goa and Sikkim as interim measures, ensuring all registration offices accept applications for Anand Karaj marriages without delay. The Centre was asked to coordinate, circulate model rules within two months, and compile a consolidated status report on compliance within six months.
The court emphasised that no application for registration or certified extract of an Anand Karaj marriage shall be refused solely because rules under Section 6 have not yet been notified. (Agencies)
