Inter-faith Marriages

The Madhya Pradesh High Court, in an interim order granting relief to interfaith couples entering into wedlock, has held as “unconstitutional” a provision in the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act that requires an individual to give a declaration to the district magistrate before undertaking religious conversion.

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday has said it won't make any changes to its stay on Section 5 of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 as it has not stayed conversions for such marriages where there is no allurement or fraudulent means or force.

In a laudable judgment, the Allahabad High Court said that it is not mandatory to publish a notice for inter-faith marriages. When it is not needed for marriages under personal laws, why should it be for secular laws?

In a sign of hope, courts have taken a progressive view of such marriages and left it to individuals to decide who they should marry. In some cases, states have been pulled up for their narrow views.