Anand Marriage Act

July 10, 2024

Recently, the National Commission for Minorities held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, with 18 States/UTs to discuss the implementation and registration of marriages of Sikhs under Anand Marriage Act.

About Anand Marriage Act:

It provides statutory recognition of marriage rituals of the Sikh community in India.
The emergence of the Anand Marriage Act dates back to 1909 when the British Imperial Legislative Council passed legislation for the recognition of the Sikh wedding ceremony Anand Karaj.
The Act aimed to acknowledge and respect the customs and practices of the community.
In 2012, the Parliament passed the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, bringing Sikh traditional marriages under the purview of legal recognition.
While the central government approved the amendments, it was left for individual states and union territories to frame respective rules for the registration of Anand marriages.
Significance of the Act: It provides statutory recognition to marriage rituals of Sikhs, fulfilling their long-standing demand to not have to solemnise their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act.
Recent implementation: 'Jammu and Kashmir Anand Marriage Registration Rules, 2023' has been framed for the registration of "Anand marriages", under which tehsildars concerned shall be the registrar of such marriages within their respective territorial jurisdiction, as per a government notification issued.