An organized network of touts has emerged around district courts issuing fake marriage certificates: Allahabad HC

A bench by Justice Vinod Diwakar noted that an organized racketeering of touts and agents in the name of religious trusts has emerged around the district courts, involving qualified legal professionals in addition to Purohits and touts.

The Court further noted that the local police also protect such ‘rouge’ elements, even failing to trace the source of the fake marriage certificates and other documents created, allowing runaway couples to obtain protection orders from the court on the basis of such forged documents. documents.

The Court made this comment while considering a protection application filed by an eloped couple.

When the Court heard the case in August this year, it expressed doubts about the Arya Samaj marriage documents submitted by the petitioners. Thus, the local police were asked to provide a verification report on the legitimacy and credibility of such documents submitted in the pleas of eloped couples.

On October 17, the court examined the report and noted that in many cases the documents attached to the petition such as Aadhar cards, PAN cards or Marksheets are forged and the marriage certificates issued by the Trust of Society are also found . be fake.

The court further referred to the following statements in the said report:

• The marriages are not solemnized in accordance with the requirements of Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act;
• In many cases, the girls involved are between the ages of 12 and 15 and enter into marriages of convenience with male adults, often twice their age;
• Touts and agents provide false documents to eloped couples to obtain protection orders from the Court, when in fact no marriage has taken place.
• The register maintained by the trust or the association lacks the required details such as the information of the witnesses, including their mobile numbers, identification documents and the names of the Purohit, the president and the secretary of the association.

In view of this, the Court directed the Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, to conduct a thorough investigation into the role of such organisations, trusts and rouge elements involved in such crimes.

The Court further directed the police to immediately register an FIR and take action in accordance with law if the investigation reveals that any of the above-mentioned persons have committed a cognizable offense.

The case will now be heard for further hearing on November 18.

The Supreme Court ruled in September this year focused a survey of the Arya Samaj Mandirs, societies, trusts and institutions providing marriage certificates mainly in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad and other parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Dealing with protection cases filed by young couples, Judge Vinod Diwakar observed thus:

“Essentially, such marriages lead to human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor. Children suffer emotional and psychological trauma caused by social instability, exploitation, coercion, manipulation and the disruption of their education. Furthermore, these issues place a significant burden on the courts. Therefore, a robust system for document verification and ensuring accountability of trusts and associations needs to be developed.”