Why Uttar Pradesh is making it harder for runaway couples to marry

Married couples in Uttar Pradesh can now only register their marriage in a district where at least one of the spouses or their parents usually live.

Couples will also have to submit an affidavit from the purohit or priest who solemnised the wedding, containing their full details, along with a video recording of the ceremony. Moreover, an unregistered rent agreement will not be accepted as proof of residence.

This is due to the notification of new, more stringent rules for the registration of marriages by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 6. The move, which makes it significantly harder for couples to marry without their families’ consent, is a direct consequence of a judgement delivered by the Allahabad High Court on May 12.

Crucially, the court clarified that these stringent requirements “shall specifically apply to the registration of marriages involving runaway couples – i.e., those who have entered into a matrimonial alliance without the consent of their respective family members”. If family members are present, a marriage officer has the discretion to waive these conditions.

The order effectively creates a separate, more stringent category of registration for couples that elope. This raises concerns about undermining the fundamental right of adults to choose their partners that has been repeatedly upheld by the Supreme...

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