RHM rules to be people friendly: Sagar

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 23: Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar today said that the new rules regarding the Registration of Hindu Marriages (RHM) would be people friendly and would cater to the aspirations of every section of the society.
The Minister was speaking at a Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting constituted under his chairmanship. The Minister for Industries and Commerce S. S. Slathia and the Minister for Health and Horticulture Sham Lal Sharma, members of the Committee, besides Commissioner/Secretary Law G. H. Tantary, Special Secretary Law R. K. Koul and other senior officers of Law Department were present.
The Minister said that the views and suggestions have been obtained from prominent religious leaders, representatives of various religious organizations, members of Bar Association, faculty of Law School Jammu and due consideration was given to them in the light of Supreme Court directions and in accordance with the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Hindu Marriage Act 1980. He said that the model of rules of other neighboring states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have also been taken into consideration while drafting the new rules.
It is pertinent to mention that the need for framing Hindu Marriages Registration Rules (HMRR) has arisen due to the Court judgment in the case of Seema V/s Ashwani Kumar where in it had directed that marriages of all persons who are citizens of India shall be compulsorily registerable in their respective states. In this connection every State Government and Central Government was directed to notify the procedure for registration of marriages by amending the existing rules, if any, or by framing new rules.