Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 5
Parliamentary Secretary for Law & Justice Yitachu today expressed concern that most people have not yet fully understood the essence of the proposed Marriage Registration Bill which is yet to be passed in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. The legislator clarified today during an informal interaction in a programme in Kohima, that the Marriage Registration Bill is entirely different from the Marriage Act.
Yitachu expressed dismay that some persons have even gone to the extent of describing the proposed Bill as “doomsday.” The Marriage Registration Bill is totally different from the Marriage Act, he said. The legislator has reminded that the Bill is to ensure that people register their marriages in a government agency. In this case, he said, it is the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the districts and at Kohima under the Home department where the registration can be made.
Whether a marriage is solemnized in a church, or as per Naga customary laws, or in a court of the Registrar of Marriages and Divorces or just marriage of convenience living together openly as husband and wife, he said, it is important that both the spouses must acquire official identity cards to prove that they are husband and wife.
The Marriage Registration Bill is primarily for married couples to be able to prove their marital identity whenever called for, Yitachu reminded.
He said the process would immensely help when one of the spouses demises because the survivor would have no trouble in providing his or her case and thus get access to pension funds, insurance and other relevant financial benefits like bank accounts without undue delay and unnecessary harassment. The authority concerned only wants to confirm, the legitimacy of the applicant and not to harass, said Yitachu.
The parliamentary secretary also said that unfortunately, most people do not bother to register births of their children or deaths in the family. He lamented that only when a child is ready to attend school, then the parents go in search of a birth certificates. Most people never even register births and deaths even though these are mandatory.
It costs only Rs.5 to register a marriage in agencies under the aegis of the Home department. And this “citizen-centric” welfare law even allows that if a marriage is registered after a month, then the couple has to pay Rs. 10 to make their union official.
It is also very clear that if one’s marriage is not registered, the marriage is “not void.” The proposed Bill is, therefore, very good and seeks to ensure security for the married couples.
Besides, the Marriage does not infringe on Naga customary laws. It will also prevent trafficking in women. There have been so many instances when young women, even girls have been enticed away as “wives” and then eventually sold. The proposed Bill will further protect children from child marriages. Over and above that registration of marriages is “optional” and the government’s efforts only give additional responsibility to the home department for the welfare of the citizens.
Yitachu further said that the proposed Marriage Registration Bill also contains come clauses regarding some punishments for those who give wrong information to obtain a certificate and if the officer-charge makes any alternations or erase certain information or does not maintain proper records.
“Even if a law is very good, some people don’t understand and the media should encourage in spreading this knowledge,” said Yitachu.
