Chandigarh: Coming down heavily on certificates not being issued, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered marriage registration officers to register marriages of couples who are over 21 years of age.
The high court ordered that directions be issued to all Registrars of Marriages in Punjab not to raise any objections while registering the marriage of two adults who have completed 21 years at the time of getting their marriage registered, even if they were minor at the time of marriage.
The high court has directed them to register such a marriage immediately without any delay, a Punjab government spokesperson said on Thursday.
The high court order came on a writ petition filed by an individual who was refused a marriage registration certificate on the ground that he was not 21 years old when he got married.
The court said that if the person seeking registration had attained the age of 21 years when seeking the certificate, the same should be given to him.
The court observed that disobedience of the orders and refusal to register the marriage on these grounds would invite action of contempt against such officer and will be viewed strictly, the spokesperson said.
