The Supreme Court has directed all States and Union Territories to frame rules within four months for registering Sikh marriages solemnised under the Anand Karaj ceremony, as mandated by the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 (amended in 2012). Until rules are notified, marriages must be registered under existing laws with certificates clearly mentioning Anand Karaj. The Court criticised the uneven implementation across States, noting that it undermines both equality and Sikh identity. This ruling revives the long-pending demand for effective recognition of Sikh marriage rights and civil protections.

Samvad Patar Bureau: New Delhi, September 18, 2025 – In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India has directed all States and Union Territories to frame rules for the registration of marriages solemnised through Anand Karaj — the traditional Sikh marriage ceremony — within four months. The Court stressed that until such rules are notified, Sikh couples must not be denied registration and should be accommodated under existing marriage laws, with their certificates clearly mentioning that the union was solemnised through Anand Karaj.

This ruling comes as a response to the long-pending demand of the Sikh community for proper recognition and uniform implementation of the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, which was amended in 2012 to allow registration of Sikh marriages independent of the Hindu Marriage Act. Yet, thirteen years later, most States and Union Territories still lack clear rules, forcing Sikh couples into bureaucratic hurdles and unequal treatment.

Historical Background: Anand Marriage Act and the Sikh Identity Question

The roots of this issue go back more than a century. The Anand Marriage Act, 1909 was passed during British rule after decades of Sikh reformist struggles, particularly by the Singh Sabha Movement, to protect Sikh religious identity from being absorbed under Hindu frameworks. Until then, Sikh marriages were often legally recognized under Hindu law, undermining Sikh distinctiveness.

The 1909 Act was a symbolic and practical assertion of Sikh separateness, validating marriages performed by the Anand Karaj ceremony. However, it did not provide for registration. For decades after independence, Sikhs continued to be forced to register marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which many saw as a dilution of their identity.

In 2012, following sustained community pressure, Parliament amended the 1909 Act by adding Section 6, mandating States to frame rules for registration of Sikh marriages. The amendment was hailed as historic. But implementation was left to the States — and most have either delayed or outright ignored their responsibility.

Why Implementation Stalled for Over a Decade

Despite the 2012 amendment, the Anand Marriage Act has remained a half-fulfilled promise. Only a handful of States, including Punjab and Delhi, framed rules and created mechanisms for registration. Elsewhere, Sikh couples still faced demands to register under the Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act.

Several reasons have contributed to this delay:

  1. Bureaucratic Apathy – States argued that separate rules for Sikhs would complicate existing systems, despite the constitutional mandate.

  2. Fear of Precedent – Recognising a separate framework for Sikhs raised political anxieties about similar demands from other communities.

  3. Central-State Confusion – Many States insisted on Union government guidance, while the Centre deflected responsibility back to the States.

  4. Neglect of Minority Concerns – Sikh identity issues often get sidelined in national policymaking, unless pursued through courts.

Supreme Court’s Intervention: Equal Citizenship and Religious Rights

Hearing a petition by Sikh activist Amanjot Singh Chadha, the Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta pulled up both the Centre and States for dragging their feet.

The Court observed:

“In a secular republic, the State must not turn a citizen’s faith into either a privilege or a handicap. When the law recognises Anand Karaj as a valid form of marriage yet leaves no machinery to register it, the promise is only half kept.”

It further clarified that while registration does not determine the validity of a Sikh marriage — which remains valid by virtue of the religious rite — the absence of registration deprives couples, particularly women and children, of essential civil protections like inheritance rights, maintenance, insurance, and legal proof of status.

The Court ordered:

  • All States and UTs to frame and notify rules under Section 6 of the 1909 Act within four months.

  • The Union government to circulate model rules and act as a coordinating authority.

  • No application for registration should be refused merely because rules are pending.

  • Special directions to Goa (where marriage laws follow a Portuguese civil code) and Sikkim (where constitutional provisions require special notification).

Sikh Identity and the Larger Struggle

This judgment touches a deeper nerve in the Sikh community: the recurring tension between religious identity and legal recognition in India.

From the time of colonial censuses, when Sikhs were often classified as Hindus, to the present-day challenges over separate marriage laws, the Sikh struggle has been to ensure institutional acknowledgment of their distinct faith. The Anand Marriage Act was meant to be one such institutional recognition, but lack of implementation has left it hollow.

For many Sikhs, registering a marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act remains an insult to their religious identity. The delay also feeds into broader anxieties — such as the recent debates over the status of Punjabi language in education policy, the push for Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and fears of homogenisation of India’s diverse religious communities.

Present Scenario: Hope with Caution

The Supreme Court’s ruling has been welcomed across Sikh circles, with community leaders calling it “a long-overdue recognition of Sikh civil rights.” However, skepticism remains about whether States will meet the four-month deadline.

Legal experts point out that bureaucratic inertia could again delay practical implementation, unless the Sikh community remains vigilant. Activists stress that Sikh organisations must monitor compliance at the State level and press for immediate changes to marriage registration forms, training of registrars, and issuance of certificates mentioning Anand Karaj.

If implemented faithfully, this ruling could finally operationalise what the 2012 amendment promised — giving Sikh couples across India the dignity of registering their marriages under their own faith, without being subsumed under another religion’s law.

The Supreme Court’s intervention on September 4, 2025, has re-ignited a century-old battle over Sikh identity and legal recognition. The judgment is not just about marriage registration; it is about ensuring equality of citizenship while respecting religious distinctiveness.

Whether India’s federal machinery rises to this occasion, or whether Sikhs must once again fight State by State, will determine if the promise of the Anand Marriage Act is finally fulfilled — or remains yet another symbol of unimplemented recognition.

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