Patiala MP to meet Amit Shah

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 16

Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi has sought an appointment with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president Amit Shah to seek support for clearance of the Sikh Marriage Bill that is lying in the custody of the Parliament since the past over two years.

He has sought an appointment with Amit Shah for adopting and passing of this Bill, claiming that it was only after the BJP adopts it that the crucial Bill pertaining to the Sikh community could be cleared.

Dr Gandhi said democracy was not only about people’s right to change or elect the government by voting after every five years but also it was the duty of the Union Government to respect different rituals and lifestyles of different communities and respecting their religious and other sentiments.

Notably, the draft of the Sikh Marriage Bill, 2015, proposed as a private member Bill on December 1, 2015, covers various aspects, right from the definition of a Sikh, registration of marriage, divorce, permanent alimony and maintenance and custody of the child. The Bill was floored in February 2016 but has been lying pending since then.

The Sikh community since years has been demanding an independent marriage Act for the community but it has not been implemented completely. Though the Centre has passed the Anand Marriage Act recognising the Sikh marriage ceremony, ‘Anand Karaj’, for the purpose of a separate registration of marriage, the remaining aspects continued to be the same as that defined under the Hindu Marriage Act.

Dr Gandhi said he had already discussed the issue with Shah and would now be meeting him in person to elaborate the matter as to how the Bill would be beneficial for the Sikh community.