SHILLONG: The state government has notified rules for effective implementation of the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act.
Governor Ganga Prasad has notified the rules to amend the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Rules, 2015.
The May 15 notification says the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage (Amendment) Rules, 2018, will come into force immediately.
According to the rule, the marriage officer or licence holder under the provisions of various personal laws will maintain a register as provided under the personal laws of such marriages.
“All registration of marriages maintained by the marriage officer or licence holder will be filed as permanent record and it should be furnished annually to the respective registrar of marriage,” the rule says.
For marriages not covered by any personal laws or where the provision of maintaining marriage register is not prescribed, the parties to a marriage will “prepare a memorandum in duplicate in Form ‘A’ appended to the rules along with their passport size photographs and submit the same to the registrar of marriage”.
Secondly, the registrar will maintain a register in Form ‘B’, appended to the rules, by mentioning the particulars of marriage, and all these will be filed as permanent record.
“Both the parties of marriage and two witnesses for each party should sign in the register,” says the rule.
The marriage officer or licence holder will issue a certificate of marriage as prescribed under various personal laws, which will act as proof of marriage.
For marriages not covered by their respective personal laws, the registrar will, after completion of the registration as specified in sub-Rule (3) of Rule (3), issue a certificate of registration of marriage in Form ‘C, free of cost to the parties as proof.
The registrar will perform functions as per rules and display his name and designation in English and the local language of the area at a conspicuous place at his office and submit annual returns in Form ‘D’ appended with the Marriage Rules to the Registrar General of Marriages.
The registrar general of marriages will control over the functioning of the marriage registrars and prescribe from time to time any registers to be maintained by a registrar, inspect registration offices throughout the state and issue such direction as may be required, delegate any of his functions to any officer authorised by him, maintain annual consolidated statement of the marriages registered district wise and furnish the same to the government in Form E.