New Delhi, Sep 18: The Supreme Court has directed all states and union territories that have not yet framed rules for the registration of marriages solemnised through the Sikh ceremony of Anand Karaj to do so within four months.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that while the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, legally recognises Anand Karaj as a valid form of marriage, the absence of a registration framework leaves the “constitutional promise only half kept.”
Emphasising equal treatment in a secular republic, the court noted, “The state must not turn a citizen’s faith into either a privilege or a handicap. Registration of Anand Karaj marriages must be on the same footing as other valid marriages.”
The bench said Section 6 of the Act, amended in 2012, imposes a duty on states to create registration mechanisms and maintain records. It directed that, until rules are notified, states and UTs must ensure Anand Karaj marriages are accepted under prevailing marriage-registration systems without discrimination.
The court also tasked the Centre to act as a coordinating authority, circulate model rules to states within two months, and submit a consolidated compliance report in six months. Specific directions were issued to Goa and Sikkim to provide interim mechanisms to ensure immediate registration of Anand Karaj marriages.