The Allahabad High Court has recently ruled that a Hindu marriage is not valid without the ‘saptapadi’ ceremony, which involves taking seven rounds around the sacred fire. The court annulled the proceedings in a case where a husband accused his estranged wife of bigamy, claiming she had married again without divorcing him.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, in his order on September 19, emphasized that a marriage must be celebrated with proper ceremonies to be legally recognized. He noted that the ‘saptapadi’ ceremony is a crucial element of a valid Hindu marriage and its absence makes the marriage invalid under the law.
The court referenced Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which requires that Hindu marriages be conducted according to customary rites and ceremonies, including the ‘saptapadi’ ritual.
In this case, Smriti Singh married Satyam Singh in 2017. After their relationship deteriorated, Smriti left her in-laws’ home and filed a police report accusing them of dowry harassment. Following an investigation, charges were filed against her husband and in-laws. Smriti also sought maintenance, which the family court in Mirzapur granted, ordering her husband to pay ₹4,000 per month.
The husband later accused Smriti of bigamy, alleging she had remarried without a legal divorce. In response, the Allahabad High Court quashed the complaint and summoning order, stating that the complaint and evidence lacked any mention of the ‘saptapadi’ ceremony. The court concluded that no prima facie offence was evident against Smriti.
This ruling reinforces the necessity of following all prescribed marriage rituals for a marriage to be legally valid.
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