SC notice to Centre, states on drafting Sikh wedding rules, Legal News, ET LegalWorld – Legal Firms

NAINITAL: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre and all states on an PIL seeking a direction for state, UT governments to formulate rules for registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909. A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and CT Ravikumar heard the plea filed by an advocate of the Uttarakhand high court earlier this week and gave respondents 8 weeks to submit their reply.

The Anand Marriage Act, 1909 was enacted by the imperial legislative council more than a century ago to give legal sanction to a marriage ceremony among Sikhs known as “Anand Karaj”. The Act of 1909 was amended by parliament in 2012 to address the long-standing need for registration of Anand Marriages by allowing Sikh couples an option to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909. Under the new amendment, a duty has been cast upon the state governments to frame rules for the facilitation of registration of Sikh marriages, the PIL stated.

While various states and UTs have already framed rules for registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, many of them have not notified the said rules as mandated by section 6 of the Act, the PIL stated. Advocate Amanjot Singh Chadha had originally filed a writ petition before the Uttarakhand high court seeking formulation of rules for registration of Sikh marriages.

The writ was disposed of with a direction to the chief secretary to look into the issue. The petitioner moved SC after the state government didn’t take any steps in this regard.