The NRI Marriage Registration Bill makes it mandatory for the NRI men to essentially register their marriage within 30 days of marriage. The same has been relayed on to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on External Affairs.

As per the “Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019” bill, it provides all the power to the passport authorities to impound or even end up revoking the passport as well as the travel documents of the NRIs who do not actively register their marriage within 30 days of getting married.

A Lok Sabha secretariat in a bulletin said that the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019 bill which was priorly introduced in the Rajya Sabha has been forwarded to the Standard Committee on External Affairs in the Parliament for further examination and salient report in the coming two months.

After the introduction of the bill in Rajya Sabha, the lack of exposure made it backtrack. But, with consistent highlights and better exposure induced by the Women Empowerment Foundation (WEF), the change was meant to happen. They did a number of digital campaigns, started a petition in change.org and even appealed directly to PM Narendra Modi and honourable Minister Smriti Irani.

BJP Government has taken an extensive initiative to bring through a breakthrough with this specific bill to be passed under the Lok Sabha and make it a law to further ensure better security for the Indian women stuck in NRI marriages.

Owing the increasing number of cases of Indian women being trapped in a fraudulent marriage with an NRI, the Rajya Sabha was approached with the issue to look for an immediate solution. The bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in February. The same induces the compulsion for the NRI Marriage Registration within 30 days of marriage.

Failing the legalized registration of the marriage by an NRI man, the same can result in revoking the passport and the travel rights of the individual.

In addition to that, failing the registration also does give the court the power to attach the properties, movables as well as the immovable of the accused. The same even take place if the accused fails to show up to the court despite the issued warrants against them.

According to the NRI Marriage Registration Bill, the law will only be applicable to the NRIs marrying Indian women in or around India.

By Somapika Dutta