MP High Court Gets Strict on Same Day Arya Samaj Marriage

If the love birds had thought of getting married in an Arya Samaj Mandir at a short notice, it would not be all that easy to do now. While the institution of Arya Samaj marriage was created to break the social taboos of caste, creed and religion so that the young hearts can marry at their, the long established institution has now gained infamy because of the various malpractices that are followed, legal loopholes and the general parental dislike for this system which is increasingly creating social chaos.

In an attempt to regulate the systems better, without taking away its reformist benevolence, there have been a number of rulings from the high courts of different states. The most recent one comes from the High Court of Madhya Pradesh which has clearly laid it down that the couple looking to get married at the Arya Samaj Mandir will have to wait for at least one week. During the course of this week, the court has directed that:

1. Temple would seek written applications from the to-be bride and groom.

2. Temple would fix the date of marriage at least a week later.

3. Management of temple will inform the parents of both the to-be bride and groom with a duly registered intimation about the date and time of marriage.

4. Information will also have to be sent to the local police station and office of District Collector under whose jurisdiction the residences of both the to-be bride and groom come.

5. At least 5 relatives from both sides need to be present at the Arya Samaj marriage.

With these small set of guidelines, there is an expectation that the misuse of this noble institution of marriage, which provides a way to the poor to get married legally and religiously, will be prohibited to a good extent. These will also help in preventing the social tensions and enabling the law enforcement agencies to remain informed and to make the parties informed of the correct position of law in respect of these marriages. There will no longer be a tendency to elope and get married without the presence of any relative. This will also prevent the tendency among the wedding aspirants to circumvent the court marriage route since, with the closure of gaps in Arya Samaj marriage, there will be level matching with the court marriages to a greater extent.