Indian politicians are exploring a system that would require parental consent for love marriages.
Bhupinder Patel, chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, announced that his government would consider introducing a system that would make parental consent mandatory for love marriages.
Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he has also been its Chief Minister.
Politicians are reportedly reviewing whether the system is feasible and constitutional.
According to local media, the proposal came in response to the demand of an influential Patidar community in the state.
During an event organized by the Sardar Patel Group in Mehsana on Sunday (July 31), Bhupandi Patel reportedly mentioned his conversation with his health minister Rishikesh Patel.
He said: ‘Coming here, [رشی کیش] Patel told me that we should review the cases of runaway girls and conduct a comprehensive survey to make parental consent mandatory for love marriages.’
“If the constitution allows it, we will conduct a survey and try to get the best possible results,” Bhupinder said.
The Chief Minister of Gujarat also has the support of Imran Khedawala, a local legislator of the opposition Congress party on this issue.
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Imran Khedawala said ‘At a time when parents are neglected in love marriages, the government is thinking of making a specific system for love marriages which is constitutionally enforceable.
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‘The Chief Minister has assured to conduct a study on mandatory parental consent in love marriages.
The Prime Minister has spoken about this. If the government brings such a law in the assembly session, then my support is with the government.
Earlier this year, Gujarat’s local legislator Fateh Singh Chauhan linked love marriages to crime, claiming that making parental consent mandatory would reduce the crime rate in the state.
In March this year, The Times of India quoted Chauhan as saying: ‘Marriages without parental consent increase the crime rate in the state and if such marriages are with parental consent, the crime rate increases. There will be a 50 percent reduction.
He said, ‘Court marriages are not registered in the respective area but in other districts.
“Boys and girls hide their papers and get married in other districts and later either the girl suffers or the parents commit suicide.
“Parents who are busy with their professions cannot take care of their girls and that’s why anti-socials take advantage and take girls away.”