Register conversions

A religious conversion should be registered in the court before a marriage takes place, recommends the Law Commission headed by Justice P. V. Reddy in its 235th report. This will prevent difficulties arising at the time of divorce or separation as there will be no dispute over the nature of the law under which the marriage has been solemnized, reported The Free Press Journal (FPJ) in its edition of January 1, 2011.

The recommendation was made subsequent to problems faced by the Kerala High Court in deciding a divorce case in which a Christian girl who had married a Hindu boy according to Hindu traditions objected to the matter being heard under the Hindu Marriage Act on the ground that she is a Christian and that the Hindu law does not apply to her, reported FPJ.

The proposed recommendation notes that those opting for an inter faith marriage can register their conversion with the Registrar for Marriages a month after the change of religion. The information, including name and address of the person, will be displayed on the notice board in order to invite objections. The registrar will issue a certificate regarding change of religion 21 days after the information has been posted on the notice board.

According to the Commission, there is no need to frame a new law or make any amendments in the existing laws as an executive order issued by the central government to the states will suffice. Persons can register change of religion, if any, even without such an order to avoid post-marriage problems, the FPJ explains.