Bombay High Court allows Muslim man to register third marriage, clarifies reason

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has held that a Muslim man is permitted to register multiple marriages, as allowed under the Muslim Personal Law. The judgment came in response to a petition by a man from Thane who sought to register his third marriage with an Algerian national.

The petitioner approached the Thane Municipal Corporation, requesting registration of his third marriage. However, the authorities rejected his application, citing the Maharashtra Marriage Registration Act, which allows for the registration of only one marriage per person. The petitioner then moved the High Court, seeking direction for the authorities to issue his marriage certificate.

The court observed that Muslim Personal Law permits a man to have more than one marriage and this fact had not been considered by the municipal authorities when rejecting the application. The court also noted that the Thane Municipal Corporation had previously registered the petitioner’s second marriage, which further underscored the inconsistency in their approach.

While the corporation also argued that the petitioner had not submitted all required documents, the court instructed him to provide the necessary paperwork. The court then directed the Thane Municipal Corporation to proceed with the registration of the marriage once all documents were submitted.