Gujarat: Gujarat government will study the probability of a system for making parents’ permission necessary in case of love marriages and if it is constitutionally feasible, informed Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
According to PTI, Patel stated, “The state health minister directed me to evaluate and study into the incidents of girls eloping for marriage so that the consent of the parents can be made mandatory in case of love marriages.”
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Rushikesh Patel, a representative of the Gujarat government, announced that they will be initiating a fresh study into the incidents of elopement of girls in the context of love marriages.
The objective is to explore the possibility of introducing mandatory parental consent into such marriages, if supported by the Constitution. Patel emphasized that their aim is to achieve the best possible outcome through this study.
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The decision received support from the opposition Congress, with MLA Imran Khedawala stating that at a time when parents are often neglected in love marriages, the government’s consideration of creating a specific system that is constitutionally feasible is commendable.
In 2021, the Gujarat government had amended the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, introducing penalties for forcible or fraudulent religious conversion through marriage, with a provision for up to 10 years of imprisonment.
However, certain sections of the Act were stayed by the high court following a challenge in the Supreme Court, where the matter currently awaits resolution.
