AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat assembly saw a demand from BJP and Congress MLAs, urging amendment of existing laws to make the signature of parents mandatory in case of love marriages, and that such marriages be registered in the same taluka where the man or woman live.
During a discussion on the legal department, the BJP MLA from Kaalol Fatehsinh Chauhan demanded that the government bring out an amendment making it compulsory to have the parents’ signature in case of love marriages. He said, “Marriages solemnized without the consent of parents add to the crime rate in the state and if such marriages are registered with the consent of parents, the crime rate would come down by 50%. Court marriages are registered not in the respective area but other districts.
The boy and girls hide their documents and marry in other districts and later either the girl suffers, or the parents have to commit suicide. Parents who are busy because of their professions cannot take care of their girls and hence anti-socials take advantage of this and elope with girls.”
He demanded that the government amend existing laws and make it compulsory to have the consent of the parents for court marriages. “There are several cases in Kaalol where girls have been lured by anti-socials and kidnapped and to save them such an amendment is necessary.
Geni Thakore, the Congress MLA from Vav, raised a similar demand. She said, “We have been demanding for a long time that changes be made in the law about love marriages.” She said, “I demanded that there should be an amendment in the law and many other MLAs raised similar demands.”
She said, “We are not against love marriage but we want the change to ensure that no boys who do not get girls for marriage or have criminal backgrounds lure girls and marry them and as this leads to harassment of the girl who has to suffer in the end. We want that the marriage procession should come to the girl’s house as is customary and hence we want an amendment in the act which should make it compulsory to marry the girl in her village and to ensure the registration is done in the taluka where she stays and the witnesses should be from her own village only.”
She said such an amendment would save the lives of thousands of girls and give time to the police to investigate other cases, as police are only involved in investigation of such cases.
Law minister Rushikesh Patel remained silent on the issue and did not reply to the demands of Chauhan and Thakore.
During a discussion on the legal department, the BJP MLA from Kaalol Fatehsinh Chauhan demanded that the government bring out an amendment making it compulsory to have the parents’ signature in case of love marriages. He said, “Marriages solemnized without the consent of parents add to the crime rate in the state and if such marriages are registered with the consent of parents, the crime rate would come down by 50%. Court marriages are registered not in the respective area but other districts.
The boy and girls hide their documents and marry in other districts and later either the girl suffers, or the parents have to commit suicide. Parents who are busy because of their professions cannot take care of their girls and hence anti-socials take advantage of this and elope with girls.”
He demanded that the government amend existing laws and make it compulsory to have the consent of the parents for court marriages. “There are several cases in Kaalol where girls have been lured by anti-socials and kidnapped and to save them such an amendment is necessary.
Geni Thakore, the Congress MLA from Vav, raised a similar demand. She said, “We have been demanding for a long time that changes be made in the law about love marriages.” She said, “I demanded that there should be an amendment in the law and many other MLAs raised similar demands.”
She said, “We are not against love marriage but we want the change to ensure that no boys who do not get girls for marriage or have criminal backgrounds lure girls and marry them and as this leads to harassment of the girl who has to suffer in the end. We want that the marriage procession should come to the girl’s house as is customary and hence we want an amendment in the act which should make it compulsory to marry the girl in her village and to ensure the registration is done in the taluka where she stays and the witnesses should be from her own village only.”
She said such an amendment would save the lives of thousands of girls and give time to the police to investigate other cases, as police are only involved in investigation of such cases.
Law minister Rushikesh Patel remained silent on the issue and did not reply to the demands of Chauhan and Thakore.
