On Monday, a division bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C. T. Ravikumar of the Supreme Court issued notice on a petition seeking directions for state governments to develop rules for the registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909.

The Court requested a response from the Respondents on the plea requesting that a writ of mandamus be issued directing the Respondents to notify the rules under the Anand Marriage Act 1909 in the country as soon as possible in the interest of justice.

A division bench comprised of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C. The Supreme Court's T. Ravikumar issued notice on a petition requesting that state governments develop rules for the registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, 1909.

In the interest of justice, the Court requested a response from the Respondents on the plea requesting that a writ of mandamus be issued directing the Respondents to notify the rules under the Anand Marriage Act 1909 in the country as soon as possible"to take appropriate steps for putting the aforesaid proposal before the cabinet and after approval of the cabinet also take steps for publishing the same in the Gazette and place it before the Legislative Assembly."

The petition filed by Petitioner Advocate Amanjot Singh Chaddha submitted that, "India being a secular democracy has to uphold and respect the religious practices of its citizens. Anand Marriage Act, 1909 was enacted by the Imperial Legislative Council over more than a century ago to give legal sanction to a Marriage ceremony among Sikhs known as Anand Karaj and also to remove any doubts, which may be cast as to their validity."

It was also stated that "taking into account the difficulties arising due to the inaction of the State Governments in formulating the rules for the implementation of the said Act, a large section of the society is being disenfranchised from availing of the fruits of a Central Act."

As respondents to the petition are the Union of India, the states of Uttarkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunahcal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, and the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Leh & Ladakh, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep,

Case Title: Amanjot Singh Chaddha vs Union of India

W. P. (C) No. 911/2022