No more marriages in party offices, says Kerala HC

Kerala High Court has held as invalid marriages conducted at the offices of CPI(M) and other political parties.
The ruling in this regard was passed yesterday by a division bench comprising justices Antony Dominic and Anil K Narendran on a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of a young woman seeking custody of his daughter, who went missing on February 10.
The police produced the woman and informed the court that she had got married on February 19 at the CPI(M) local committee office at Nedumudi in Kuttanad.
The bench then held that the marriage was not legally valid as it should either be solemnised before a marriage officer appointed under statutory provisions or as per religious rites.

Marriages held at the office of the political parties should not be allowed to be registered under the Kerala Registration of Marriages (Common) Rules 2008, the bench held and directed the Secretary of state and Local-self Government department to issue appropriate directions to their subordinates to prevent such practices.