Monday, August 21, 2017

One Stop Solution to Perceived Love Jehad, Conversions, etc - Marriage under Special Marriage Act

This time around my blog is about socially important information. The media is full of expressions like Love Jehad, Conversions on the name of Marriage, etc. I am not here to either support or deny those arguments. It is for experts with data to battle it out, either way.

Reading the above statement, my readers would think, what am I up to?

As you read this blog, things will be more clear to you. Read on.

Preamble


When a boy and a Girl fall in love and decide to marry (or decide to marry for any other reason), if they follow the same religion, there is hardly any issue. If both of them are from different religions but they have a good understanding and are not fettered by individual religions, again life would be smooth.

The problem comes when both belong to different religions and one of them insists to marry under a particular Rite, say Hindu, Muslim, or Christian. If a marriage is to be solemnized under the Rite of a particular religion, it is a must for both Bride and groom to be followers of that religion. In the case of Hindu marriage, many Priests overlook this requirement but that is not true for other religions.

The Problem (aka Love Jihad at el)


When a girl or a boy converts to another religion for the sake of marriage, she or he faces many uncertainties. Each religion has its personal laws, either codified or by practice. The converted person, therefore, is subjected to those personal laws that he/she has no clue about. Take the method of divorce in Islam (and I am not discussing its merits/demerits or legality) which is very different. In Roman Catholic Christians, Divorce is nearly impossible and only Church can grant it. The law of Succession also is different in each religion.

The biggest question that these persons, getting under pressure to convert for the sake of marriage, should seek an answer to is if the love of a boy and a girl belonging to a different religion is true land deep, where is any need to convert to another's religion?

However, doubt may arise, if one person does not convert to another person's religion and under what Rites they can marry.

The Answer


Here is the answer for those who want to marry for Pure love for each other and not with any other motive, marrying under Special  Marriage Act 1954, this is the one-stop solution to this issue


This act is religion-neutral. A girl and a boy belonging to any religion can marry under this act without any reference to the religion AND without any need to convert.  It is a well-drafted legislation that primarily caters to marriages that cannot otherwise be solemnized under any religious rite. That does not mean the bride and groom who belong to the same religion cannot marry under this act. Marriage of a boy and a girl with any combination of Religion, Cast, Creed, etc. can marry under this act. If I let the readers know its colloquial name, they would find it very familiar, it is conventionally known as registered or Court Marriage.

What are the benefits?

Here are some of the benefits –

     Pure love stands out without two religions vying for supremacy. Your religion to you, mine to me.

      Secondly, all the rights of individuals are clearly laid down, protected by the statute, and cannot be infringed upon by any of the marrying party's religious laws.

      This Act grants the bride and the groom uniform secular rights and there is enforceability of these rights by Courts which may not happen under other personal Laws.

Is Demanding Conversion of a Would-be Partner really true love?


Without espousing any further on this Law (this job is better done by a lawyer,  I am an Engineer and hence can only profess this much) I can only say, if one is marrying another person belonging to different religion and if that person demands that one converts to this person's religion, one needs to look at the whole affair again. What is the need to do that when another person is expected to accept you on an "As is where is" basis? If their love is pure how does religion comes in?

In Conclusion

If conversion becomes a pre-condition for marriage that may not be worth it (my personal opinion). If a boy or a girl takes a hasty decision to convert, be mindful that the individual converting would be trapped into personal laws that he/she was not subjected to earlier and about which he/she has no knowledge.


Why would anyone have any objection to marrying his or her love, keeping their religion to where they belong, to each individual, under Special Marriage Act 1954, which is a one-stop solution to marrying your love, of life keeping the marriage and married life straight, secular, and simple?

The issue is, many young boys and girls are not even aware of the fact that such an option exists.

Here is the link to Special Marriage Act 1954 - http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/P-ACT/1954/A1954-43.pdf .

Do read the act and advise others where needed least they get trapped into something they had no idea about.

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