Allahabad HC directs probe into claims of Arya Samaj facilitating illegal marriages

The Allahabad High Court has directed the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad to investigate claims that the Hindu group Arya Samaj is facilitating illegal marriages, reported Live Law.

The investigation will extend to the group’s mandirs, societies, trusts and other institutions.

Justice Vinod Diwakar passed the order on a clutch of petitions filed by married couples seeking protection from their families.

A preliminary inquiry by the police suggested that at least 15 outfits operating under the aegis of the Arya Samaj had solemnised the marriages illegally. The groups were also not officially registered with the Samaj’s headquarters in Delhi.

The judge observed that these unions were registered by district authorities based on invalid marriage certificates issued by the Arya Samaj groups, on the basis of forged documents and incorrect personal details.

The marriages were also solemnised in contravention of the provisions of the Child Marriage Restraint Act and the Hindu Marriage Act, Diwakar noted.

“Such marriages lead to human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor,” the court said. “Children endure emotional and psychological trauma caused by social instability, exploitation, coercion, manipulation, and the disruption of their education…A robust system for document verification and ensuring the accountability of trusts and societies needs to be developed.”

However, the court also said these findings were only...

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