Anand Marriage Act

About Anand Marriage Act:

• It provides statutory recognition to marriage rituals of Sikh community in India.
• The emergence of the Anand Marriage Act dates back to 1909 when the British Imperial Legislative Council passed a legislation for the recognition of the Sikh wedding ceremony Anand Karaj.
• The Act aimed to acknowledge and respect the customs and practices of the community.
• In 2012, the Parliament passed the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill, bringing Sikh traditional marriages under the purview of legal recognition.
• While the central government approved the amendments, it was left for individual states and Union territories to frame respective rules for the registration of Anand marriages.
• Significance of the Act: It provides statutory recognition to marriage rituals of Sikhs, fulfilling their long-standing demand to not have to solemnise their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act.

Recent implementation: Jammu and Kashmir Anand Marriage Registration Rules, 2023' has been framed for the registration of "Anand marriages", under which tehsildars concerned shall be the registrar of such marriages within their respective territorial jurisdiction, as per a government notification issued.

Q1. What is Adi Granth?

It is the sacred scripture of Sikhism, a religion of India. It is a collection of nearly 6,000 hymns of the Sikh Gurus (religious leaders).The Adi Granth is the central object of worship in all gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and is accorded the reverence paid to a living Guru.

Source: National Commission of Minorities Holds Meeting with States/UTs to Discuss Implementation of Anand Marriage Act