Reports have suggested that the Union Cabinet today approved introduction of the Anand Marriage Act 1909 to provide for registration of marriages of Sikhs, fulfilling a long standing demand of the Sikh Nation. Up until now Sikhs have had to register their marriage under the ‘Hindu Marriage Act’ . Only after years of continued pressure directly on the Union minsters from Sikhs has this change co…me about.
This is a victory for the Sikh Nation and one that now must be followed up with the amendment of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution where it states that ‘reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion’ – simply meaning, that Sikhs are not Sikhs but Hindus under Indian Law.
For now though we shall have to wait and see who the first Sikh couple will be to register their marriage under the Anand Marriage Act 1909.
