As the Delhi government is set to notify rules for Sikh marriages, the Mumbai Sikh community has expressed desire for a provision of separate marriage act for Sikhs in Mumbai. This demand is being made on the grounds that Sikhism is a separate religion.
The community has been backing demands by the committees in Amritsar and Delhi as told by Kulwant Singh, the vice president of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Mumbai. He said that changes in marriage law in one part of the country is not justified and demands a provision for Sikh marriages in Mumbai by the Maharashtra government.
All Sikh marriages are registered under the Hindu marriage law, i.e. the Anand Marriage, as under Article 25 (B) of the Indian constitution, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains are all construed as Hindus. As a result, Sikhs faced problems abroad as their certificates were issued under Hindu Marriage Act
The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Parliament in the budget session of 2012 and received the President’s assent the same year. According to the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, couples whose marriages have been registered under this Act will not be required to get their marriage registered under the Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths Act, 1969, or any other law for the time being.
Although the bill was passed, it still has to see the light of day in various state governments, including Maharashtra.
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