Inter-faith marriages caught in the 'web' of archaic law

HYDERABAD: When Prem Kumar and Sameera Anjum (names changed to protect identity), both residents of Serilingampally, decided to tie the knot under the Special Marriage Act (SPA) at the sub-registrar's office earlier this month, little did they anticipate the turn of events which would follow, turning their lives into a living hell.
The couple, who went by the book and duly filed the Notice of Intended Marriage (NIM) a month before the wedding, found to their horror that their details __ names, photographs, et al __ made their way to social networking sites where zealots minced no words in disapproving the inter-faith union.
While couples entering wedlock under the SPA is not new, the trend of moral policemen, armed with information and images shared on social media, barging into the homes of unsuspecting couples and dissuading them from either exchanging vows or even breaking off the marriage is a recent phenomenon, say observers. From citing verses from scriptures which reportedly frown on such unions to being outright abusive, these moral policemen leave no stone unturned to stop such marriages.
One such incident was reported in Banjara Hills this month, when a group of men, enraged at Ravi Kumar for daring to marry a Muslim woman, barged into his house and reproached him. A similar incident was reported in Humayun Nagar, when a group of professionals and businessmen donned the garb of evangelists and knocked on the doors of Afiya Khatoon (name changed) in the dead of the night and began proselytising her for marrying a Hindu man.
TOI contacted one such self-styled "reformer", who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity. "We went to her house and told her parents that inter-faith marriages were unacceptable in both communities. The family welcomed our advice," he claimed.
Not surprisingly, it is on account of rules framed under the SPA in 1959, which prescribe that the NIM be displayed at a "conspicuous place", that application forms find themselves plastered on the walls of many of the 31 sub-registrar offices in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. It is from here that they are picked up by these 'reformers'.
"There are around 100 such marriages taking place every month across the state. The rules prescribe that a copy of the application form be sent to local bodies as well as the tahsildar's office. Such rules require an amendment in Parliament if they are to be changed," said M Venkata Rajesh, joint inspector general of registration and stamps.
Meanwhile, activists termed the rule 'archaic' and pressed for its revocation as they feared the proselytisation could take a violent turn. "The undemocratic rule must be annulled. There is no need to call for objections when two majors are willing to get married," said Mazhar Hussain, executive director of Confederation of Voluntary Associations.