Gujarat lawmakers seek regulation of ‘love’ marriages

Gujarat lawmakers seek regulation of ‘love’ marriages, demand parental consent when adult children choose their own life partners in order to arrest ‘social unrest’

In a rare show of unity, Gujarat’s legislators from both the BJP and the Congress are seeking an amendment to the Registration of Marriages Act, 2009. During the ongoing budget session, on March 17 BJP legislator Fatesinh Chauhan and Geniben Thakor of the Congress demanded that signatures of parents be made mandatory when adult children choose their own partners. They also want to ensure that such marriages be registered in the same taluka where the man or woman live. The demand was made during the Assembly debate on the budgetary allocations of the Legal Department.

The lawmakers pointed to the growing number of “elopement and love marriages” by boys and girls that they said required the government’s intervention. “Marriages solemnised without the consent of parents add to the crime rate in the State. If such marriages are registered with the consent of parents, the crime rate would see a drop of 50%,” said Mr. Chauhan, an MLA from Kalol and a prominent face of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

He added that girls elope with boys and register their marriage in the court of some other district. “Later either the girl suffers, or the parents of the girl have to kill themselves. Since the parents are busy in their professions, they sometimes cannot take care of their girls and hence anti-social elements take advantage of this and elope with girls,” he said.

Mr. Chauhan cited several examples of ‘love’ marriages that have gone awry in his constituency in Panchmahal district of central Gujarat.

Making a similar demand, Ms. Thakor said love marriages without parental consent must be discouraged. “We have been demanding for a long time that changes be made in the law about love marriages,” she said, adding, “Some boys lure girls and force them into matrimony.”

“We are not against ‘love’ marriages between a girl and a boy, but we are against the marriage where the consent of the parents has not been obtained,” she argued, adding that these marriages must be registered in the same taluka where the girl and her family live and have local witnesses.

The 30-minute Assembly discussion reflects the discussions and demands among the various communities in the State.