Sikhs may have separate marriage law soon

Sikhs are likely to have a separate marriage law soon with the Ministry of Home Affairs planning to move the Union Cabinet in this regard.

Ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, the Centre has decided to accede to the long-standing demand of the Sikh community for enacting a separate Anand Marriage Act, giving legal sanctity to the marriages under Sikh religion, official sources said.

So far, Sikh marriages are solemnised under Hindu Marriage Act after the annulment of the Sikh Marriage Act in 1955.

Prior to Independence, marriages among Sikhs were held under the Anand Marriage Act in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib and the practice continued till 1955 when the Sikh Marriage Act was replaced and included in the Hindu Marriage Act, clubbing four communities together-- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain.

The sources said after the Cabinet clears the proposal, a bill in this effect will be tabled in Parliament and once it gets approval, Sikhs can marry under the new law.

However, it is not clear whether the bill would be tabled in the current session of Parliament, they said.Several political, religious groups and individuals, including former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Congress leader R S Jaura, have appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram for enactment of a separate law for solemnising Sikh marriages.

Earlier, a Parliamentary Standing Committee had unanimously approved the creation of the marriage law for Sikhs.

However, the Centre has been refraining from acting on it it apparently apprehending that it could lead to similar demands from other communities covered under the Hindu Marriage Act.

lawyers strike Continued

Jammu and Kashmir government does not appear to be serious in bringing to an end the continued strike of Jammu Bar Association which has been protesting against transfer of registration work from judiciary to revenue department. The strike has been continuing for the past more than a week now with no end in sight. The issue of enhancement of quota for practicing lawyers for recruitment in judicial services has been resolved through negotiations with the bar association with the initiative from the Chief Justice of J&K high court last week. The strike has adversely affected with working in the court and litigants have to suffer for no fault of theirs. This is also leading to piling up of cases adding to higher pendency of cases in the courts. Already the work has suffered a lot due to strike and the litigants had to go back disappointed from the court and hearings and decisions of the courts in various cases have been postponed. The pendency of cases is already staggering high and the estimates of the presiding officer suggest that this can be reduced with quick adjudication of cases in the next five years or so. The government should step in and resolve the issue through negotiations so that normal working in the judiciary is restored at the earliest. This is particularly required in view of the fact that it is ultimately the common man, who is at the receiving end due to prolonged strike. The litigants have been travelling from their homes in other towns to the courts and high courts with the hope of getting justice and early disposal of their cases. Resolution of the strike is the only way to reduce pendency of cases in courts.

Justice Masoodi Additional Judge of HC

Chief Justice of State High Court, Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla today administered oath to Gh Hasnain Masoodi as Additional Judge of State High Court for further one year.

In a ceremony held at High Court Complex here, Registrar General J R Kotwal read out the warrants of elevation issued by the President of India for elevation of Gh Hasnain Masoodi and also read out the letter of Governor authorizing Chief Justice for administering the oath. Justice Masoodi has already been working as Judge of the High Court for the last two years.

Born on January 2, 1954 at Khrew in district Pulwama, Gh Hasnain Masoodi did his LLB from Kashmir University and joined the Bar and practiced as an Advocate from April 22, 1977 to April 1980.

He was appointed as Munsiff on November 10, 1982 and promoted as Sub-Judge on January 3, 1987. Mr Masoodi was promoted as District and Sessions Judge on March 5, 1998. He remained posted at different places as District and Sessions Judge besides Registrar Vigilance High Court, Principal Secretary to the Chief Justice and Registrar General High Court.

He was granted selection grade in April, 2002 and placed in super-time scale in April 2008. He was also selected for Kashmir Administrative Services in 1984 but he decided to continue as a judicial officer.

Mr Masoodi proceeded for Higher Education to the United States in 1992 and did his Master’s in Laws from Harvard University Massachusetts with constitutional, administrative, environmental and planning law as subject areas.