PLEA IN DELHI HC AGAINST 30 DAYS NOTICE RULE FOR WEDDING UNDER SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT

The Delhi High Court sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on a plea challenging the provision of issuing a public notice to invite objections under the Special marriage Act, 1954. The bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan was hearing a petition filed on behalf of a couple, Nida Rehman and Mohan Lal, both belonging to different religious communities. The couple has challenged the vires of Sections 6 and 7 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 wherein public notice has to be issued, inviting objections mentioned in Section 4 of the Act to the marriage within 30 days. "The 30-days period offers an opportunity to the kin of a couple to discourage an inter-caste or inter-religion marriage", it said. The petition prays for the declaration of the said procedure as null and void and ultra vires of the Constitution.

Credit : Sarita Chaudhary