THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has corrected the officials who were obstructing the local bodies in the state to register intercaste marriages even though the Common-law Marriage Act came into force in the country in 2008. Sharada Muralidharan, Chief Secretary of the Local Government Department, has issued a circular suggesting that the marriage registration should not be done on the basis of the caste or religion of the bride and groom and registration should be completed only on the basis of age proof documents and marriage certificates.
The government action is based on the favorable order obtained by Lalan PR and Ayesha from the court since their marriage was not registered in the Kochi municipality.
Although earlier the government had issued a verbal instruction in this regard, the local bodies were not ready to register the marriage between two different religious groups as it was not given in writing. A certificate attesting that the ceremony was performed religiously was also mandatory for registration. In order to get such certificates from religious organizations, either the bride or the groom had to convert. Therefore, intercaste marriages are registered under the Special Marriage Act at the Sub-Registrar Offices. However, the picture of the bride and groom is not printed on the certificate provided here. Therefore, the couple should again approach the concerned local body and submit an application for registration with this certificate. Due to this, intercaste couples had to go back and forth between two offices. This will be avoided by the new circular.
If one partner of the intercaste marriage belongs to a backward class, there are benefits including transfer in government jobs and educational benefits for their children. However, a marriage registration certificate from local bodies is not mandatory for this.