Registration not enough to validate Hindu marriage if rituals, ceremonies not performed: Gujarat HC
The court said that since no marriage rites and ceremonies were performed, the basic and essential requirement of a Hindu marriage is absent in the present case. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The Gujarat High Court has ruled that registration alone cannot validate a Hindu marriage if customary rites and ceremonies such as ‘saptapadi’ are not performed, saying marriage is not merely an occasion for “song and dance”. The customary ceremonies, despite their geographical and cultural variations, are believed to purify and transform the spiritual being of an individual, the HC said in its June 23 order. The verdict came on an appeal filed by a U.K.-based man challenging the decision of a family court that had refused to declare an alleged marriage between the parties as void. While quashing the family court’s order passed in November last year, the division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and R.T. Vachhani said in its order, the copy of which was made available on Monday (June 29, 2026), that the performance of essential ceremonies like saptapadi is the …
-1774616002985_d.png "Lakhs gather at Ayodhya as ‘Surya Tilak’ performed on Ram Lalla idol")
