Marriage certified by a notary? MP HC says they have no such power
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that notaries lack the legal authority to register marriages. The court intervened in a case involving a woman coerced into a sham marriage, emphasizing that notarized documents do not constitute a valid legal union.
Why it matters
This clarifies legal standards for marriage registration in India and protects individuals from fraudulent practices by unauthorized legal practitioners.
NEW DELHI: The Madhya Pradesh high court has suspended a notary's licence for preparing a fake marriage registration document, ruling that notaries have no power to act as marriage officers. The court also freed a young woman who said she was threatened into a sham "court marriage," and allowed her to return to her parents.The bench comprising Justice G.S. Ahluwalia and Justice Anuradha Shukla passed the order on July 13. The case began as a habeas corpus petition filed by Chandrapal Singh Parihar, who claimed the woman — whom he called his "wife" — was being illegally held by her father.What was the dispute about?Chandrapal had approached the court claiming the woman was being illegally detained by her father.
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