The Allahabad High Court has sounded an alarm over the growing number of fake marriages being registered with forged documents, particularly involving minors. In a significant ruling, Justice Vinod Diwakar, presiding over a single bench, expressed serious concerns about the misuse of notarized documents, such as the Vaivahik Anubandh Patra, which runaway couples frequently use to falsely claim they are of legal age.
The case at hand, Smt. Sona Parveen & Another v. State of U.P & Others, centered around a couple who sought protection from their families after marrying against their parents' wishes. However, during the proceedings, the State, represented by Additional Chief Standing Counsel Ashwani Kumar Tripathi, along with Advocates Yogesh Kuenar and Shashwat Anand, contended that the couple's documents appeared to be forged.
Justice Diwakar noted that this case is part of a troubling pattern. He pointed out the alarming rise in instances where essential documents like birth certificates, PAN cards, and educational records are falsified to secure marriage registrations, in violation of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. The Vaivahik Anubandh Patra, often notarized by public notaries, has become a central tool in these fraudulent activities, raising serious questions about the legal validity of such notarizations.
This ruling highlights the court's deep concern over the exploitation of legal processes, particularly when it involves vulnerable, underage individuals, and underscores the need for stricter scrutiny of such practices.
