Hindu Marriage Act 02 Hindu Marriage

A 'Bare act' is the actual legislation passed by the Parliament of India. Generally, an act sets out the high level legal and policy principles applicable to the subject matter of the law.

Most acts are accompanied by 'subsidiary legislation' such as rules, regulations, notifications and orders; which address the actual implementation detail of the act.

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955

Chapter II – Hindu Marriage

Section 5 – Conditions for a Hindu marriage

A marriage may be solemnized between any two Hindus, if the following conditions are fulfilled, namely –

1. neither party has a spouse living at the time of the marriage;
2. at the time of the marriage, neither party –
   1. is incapable of giving a valid consent to it in consequence of unsoundness of mind; or
   2. though capable of giving a valid consent, has been suffering from mental disorder of such a kind or to such an extent as to be unfit for marriage and the procreation of children; or
   3. has been subject to recurrent attacks of insanity;
3. the bridegroom has completed the age of twenty – one years and the bride, the age of eighteen years at the time of the marriage;
4. the parties are not within the degrees of prohibited relationship unless the custom or usage governing each of them permits of a marriage between the two;
5. the parties are not sapindas of each other, unless the custom or usage governing each of them permits of a marriage between the two;

Section 6 – Guardianship in marriage

[Repealed by the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 1978, (2 of 1978), section 6 and Schedule]

Section 7 – Ceremonies for a Hindu marriage

1. A Hindu marriage may be solemnized in accordance with the customary rites and ceremonies of either party thereto.
2. Where such rites and ceremonies include the Saptapadi (that is, the taking of seven steps by the bridegroom and the bride jointly before the sacred fire), the marriage becomes complete and binding when the seventh step is taken.

Section 8 – Registration of Hindu marriages

1. For the purpose of facilitating the proof of Hindu marriages, the State Government may make rules providing that the parties to any such marriage may have the particulars relating to their marriage entered in such manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed in a Hindu Marriage Register kept for the purpose.
2. Notwithstanding anything contained in sub – section (1), the State Government may, if it is of opinion that it is necessary or expedient so to do, provide that the entering of the particulars referred to in sub – section (1) shall be compulsory in the State or in any part thereof, whether in all cases or in such cases as may be specified, and where any such direction has been issued, any person contravening any rule made in this behalf shall be punishable with fine which may extend to twenty – five rupees.
3. All rules made under this section shall be laid before the State Legislature, as soon as may be, after they are made.
4. The Hindu Marriage Register shall at all reasonable times be open for inspection, and shall be admissible as evidence of the statements therein contained and certified extracts therefrom shall, on application, be given by the Registrar on payment to him of the prescribed fee.
5. Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, the validity of any Hindu marriage shall in no way be affected by the omission to make the entry.

Important Central Acts in Regional Languages

Legislative department website also features regional language versions of several important Central Acts.

• Assamese
• Bengali
• Gujarati
• Kannada
• Malayalam
• Marathi
• Odia
• Punjabi
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Urdu