High Court Rules Marriage Must Follow Proper Customs
The Allahabad High Court has made an important decision about marriage. In a case where a man accused his wife of marrying someone else while still married to him, the court said that a marriage must follow certain rituals to be valid.
The judge explained that the word “solemnised” means a marriage celebrated with the right ceremonies and in the correct way. Without these rituals, a marriage is not considered valid. In this case, an important Hindu ceremony called ‘Saptapadi,’ where the bride and groom take seven steps together, was missing, so the marriage was not valid.
The court also mentioned a law called the Hindu Marriage Act, which says that a Hindu marriage must follow the customs of both parties. The ‘Saptapadi’ ceremony is crucial because it finalizes the marriage.
The court also decided that there was not enough evidence to accuse the wife of bigamy (being married to two people at the same time). So, the court dismissed the case against her.
To understand the background of the case, we need to know how it started. Smriti and Satyam got married in 2017, but they had problems, and Smriti accused her in-laws of asking for dowry (money or gifts). The police investigated and charged Satyam and his family based on these accusations.
Later, Satyam said that Smriti had married someone else. But an investigation found that this accusation was not true.
In September 2021, Satyam complained that Smriti had married again, and a court in Mirzapur summoned her because of this complaint. Smriti went to the High Court to challenge this summons because she said there was another case against her because of her dowry complaint.
The High Court’s decision means that for a marriage to be valid, it must follow the right customs and rituals. This ruling also says that without clear evidence and proper legal steps, accusations of bigamy may not be enough to prove someone guilty. It reminds us how important it is to follow the rules and have proper evidence in cases involving marriage disputes.