Maharashtra Govt to monitor interfaith, inter-caste couples

NCP MLA and former Minister Jitendra Awhad took to Twitter and asked the State Government to ‘Stay away from the private life of people

The Maharashtra Government has constituted a 13-member committee to collect details of couples in interfaith and inter-caste marriages, and the maternal families of the women involved if they are estranged. Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship of Maharashtra Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the move was aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Shraddha Walkar case.

However, the Nationalist Congress Party called it a ‘rubbish committee’ and ‘retrograde’ step and said the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government had no right to spy on the private life of people.

According to Government Resolution (order), the panel will hold regular meetings with district officials and collect information on registered and unregistered interfaith and intercaste marriages.

In case of elopement, it will act as a platform for women and their family members to avail counselling and communicates or resolve the issue. It will also monitor district-level initiatives for women involved in such marriages to assist, if necessary.

Apart from holding regular meetings with district officials, the committee members from government and non-government fields will study policies at the Central and State levels regarding welfare schemes and laws related to the matter.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Lodha said the State Government’s reason behind setting up the committee was to ensure that ‘Shraddha Walkar case’ does not happen again.

“In some cases family members of the women, who get married without their acceptance, estrange. In such cases our committee members, with the help of counsellors, will get in touch with the families and counsel them to resume the contact and get them together again,” he said.