Bhopal: Weddings that are being conducted secretly, flouting Covid-19 lockdown regulations will be declared as null and void in MP. Those couples will not be issued marriage certificates, said an official.
In the wake of rapid spread of Covid-19 cases in the state, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had restricted weddings in May, but marriages continued to take place. At least 130 marriage ceremonies were reportedly conducted ‘secretly’, not following the lockdown norms set by the government.
The district administration have ordered the marriage registration offices not to issue any certificate for these couples who have violated the norms by getting married during the lockdown. And can face legal action under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
The DMs’ orders say they will be put under section 188 for “disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)”.
Now, all the marriages, which were conducted secretly, will be declared illegal. Action will be taken against the couple, family members, and even the priests, said Ujjain district collector Ashish Singh.
After the marriage was banned in Madhya Pradesh, many weddings were shifted to the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ms Kalinga