Shivangi Prakash-
Published on: September 10, 2021, at 08:56 IST
The Delhi High Court ruled on Thursday that couples can register their marriages over video conference with the appropriate authority.
The obligatory personal presence before the authority for marriage registration would include video conferencing, according to Justice Rekha Palli, permitting a petition by a US-based couple who petitioned the court to register their marriage virtually.
The couple claimed in their petition that their marriage was solemnized through Hindu rites and rituals before marriage registration became mandatory in 2014.
They claimed they have been unable to register their marriage under the Delhi (Compulsory Registration of Marriage) Order, 2014 since they had moved overseas.
The couple said that because their application for a green card in the United States of America was being held up due to a lack of a marriage certificate, they approached the local government for a marriage certificate, but were told that physical presence of the parties was a necessary.
Several High Courts have issued orders enabling virtual attendance of parties for marriage registration, according to the couple’s attorney.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous countries’ travel bans, the lawyer believes that virtual presence should be permitted.
The Delhi government’s lawyer said that a couple seeking to register their marriage must be physically present citing that the process could not be completed via video conference because it required taking a “live photo.”
Physical appearance was also said to assist avoid fake registrations and unnecessary litigation.
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