Gujarat MP CM Harsh Sanghavi, who moved the proposal
Gandhinagar: The BJP government in Gujarat has proposed ‘anti-love jihad’ amendments to marriage registration rules that would require couples to inform their parents before registering their union – a move welcomed by the AAP, met with silence by the Congress and seen by legal experts as a possible constitutional violation.Under the draft rules presented in the assembly on Friday, couples seeking to register their marriage must submit an undertaking stating whether they have informed their parents. The Assistant Registrar will notify the parents of the bride and groom electronically, including via WhatsApp, or through physical contact.Registration will be granted within 30 days after verification, with all the details provided uploaded to the government portal. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who brought forward the proposed changes, said the government had nothing against “love marriage” but could not allow cheating in the name of mutual consent. “Innocent girls are being detained and such practices are spreading like termites in the society. Salem will not be allowed to disguise himself as Suresh,” he added. Citing examples from Panchmahal district, Sanghavi said the investigations were issued after marriage certificates were issued in villages where there was no mosque or even a single Muslim family.
In villages like Kankodakoi and Natkova, hundreds of such certificates have allegedly been issued by village panchayat secretaries, Sanghavi said. In the Assembly, AAP legislator Hemant Ahir, who introduced a private member’s bill on similar grounds earlier in the week, congratulated the government for tabling the proposed amendments. “The changes in the rules were the need of the hour. There were several loopholes in the rules,” he said. BJP MLA Lavingji Thakur, a strong supporter of the stricter norms, said the move would benefit families from all communities. Congress remained illiterate. Many community organisations, including those representing the Patidar and Kshatriya Thakur groups, have long pushed for mandatory involvement of parents in love marriages. Over the past three months, as many as 30 meetings have been held between the state government and representatives of various organizations to finalize the changes. Legal experts said the proposal may not be subject to judicial scrutiny. “This violates the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,” said lawyer Mahesh Baria. Fellow advocate Nilesh Bavsar said that while the government called the measure a mere hint, parental objections could influence enrollment decisions, leading to litigation.
