Amritsar, Sept 3: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today said the Centre's refusal to provide a separate marriage act for Sikhs is “unfortunate”.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the Sikhs were demanding a separate marriage act because at present they have to get their wedding registered under the Hindu Marriage Act under compulsion, which affects the religious sentiments of the community.
Describing the decision of the Centre as “unfortunate” and “shocking”, he said it will create a sense of alienation among the Sikhs.
The Sikh Marriage Act has been a long-standing demand of the community that has been fighting for an amendment to the Anand Karaj Act passed by the British in 1909. The community was demanding amendment for a special provision for registration of marriages performed under Sikh religious rights.
The Centre recently ruled out any amendments to the Anand Karaj Act, saying providing a separate Act for the Sikhs would invite similar demands from other communities.
“There may not be any justification for secluding Sikhs from the rest of the categories (covered by the Hindu Marriage Act), as such a step would invite similar demands from other religious denominations (like Jains and Buddhists),” Law Minister Salman Khurshid had said in Rajya Sabha. PTI
