Marriage Registration

Married persons in Kerala are confused by a statement that all the marriages are to be registered. Earlier there was no such a system, and hence nobody got registered. Once the marriage was conducted as per the traditional system of a particular community in front of a gathering, it was considered as legal. Later the organizations of that particular community started the system of registering the marriages of persons belonging to that community.
For Christian communities they have a system in the churches itself. When the marriages started to be conducted in Community Halls, the management of the hall started maintaining a record of marriages held there.

Now the marriages are to be registered in the Panchayaths/ Municipalities/corporations where it was held. The Govt. recently announced that everybody should register.

Those married fifty- sixty years back were running here and there to get their marriages registered. The problem was that the Panchayaths wanted the marriage invitation letter as a proof of the marriage.(Who keeps this letter so long a period?) The registration has to be done in the particular Panchayaths where it was held. Most people will be settled in some other place. All the formalities involved created real problem for the aged couple.

Finally, a clarification has come that the 'order' is applicable only to those married after 2008. Why, then, the authorities created these issues? (Now the news paper carry the news that different Panchayaths charged differently for the issue of marriage certificates. This means that the Govt. had not given instructions about the fees also). Those sitting in the top and issuing such incomplete and misleading orders should be dealt properly.