Hindu woman decides to live with Christian man, even though not ‘legally married’.
By Sreekanth A Nair
If a Hindu woman and Christian man want to get married as per religious custom, either of them should convert, otherwise the marriage would not be treated as legal, ruled the Madras High Court on Tuesday.
The rule was passed by the bench comprising Justices P R Shivakumar and V S Ravi while considering a Habeas Corpus petition filed by the parents of a Hindu woman who married a Christian man. The woman, who was produced in the court by police, said that she got married to a Christian in a temple at Palani.
The court said that if the couple wanted to solemnize the marriage as per Hindu custom, the man should have converted to Hinduism, or if they wanted it as per Christian custom, the woman should have converted to Christianity.
The court added that if the couple wanted to follow their respective religions without conversion, they had the option of registering their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
The woman, upon questioning, affirmed her decision to live with the man she had married. Since she was of adult age, the court let her go with the man.
The Press Trust of India quoted the bench saying, “As she is a major, she can go anywhere she likes though they had not married as per law.”