Chapter V PENALTIES

Any person who- (i) Wilfully omits or neglects to deliver or send memorandum as required by section 7; or (ii) makes any statement in such memorandum which is false in material particular, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be false. shall on conviction, be punished with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.

Any Registrar of Marriages, who fails to file the memorandum pursuant to section 7 shall, on conviction, be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees or with both.

Any person secreting, destroying, or dishonestly or fraudulently altering the marriage register or any part thereof shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, and shall also be liable to fine.

The Chief Registrar of Marriages, District Registrars of Marriages, Additional District Registrars of Marriages, Registrars of Marriages and other officers appointed under this Act, shall be deemed, while acting or purporting to act in pursuance of any of the provisions of this Act, to be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code.

No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall be instituted against any person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.

No prosecution for any offence punishable under this Act shall be instituted except with the previous sanction of the State Government.

(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, and subject to the condition of previous publication, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act- (a) the terms and conditions of appointment; and duties and powers of the Chief Registrar of Marriages, District Registrars of Marriages, Registrars of Marriages, and other officers and staff appointed to assist them; (b) the forms and manner in which registers or records, required to be kept by or under this Act, shall be maintained; (c) the custody in which the registers and records are to be kept and the preservation of such registers and records; (d) the fees to be paid under this Act; and (e) any other matter which is to be, or may be, prescribed by the State Government under this Act. (3) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the State Legislative Assembly, while it is in session, for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the sessions or the successive sessions aforesaid, the Assembly agrees in making any modification in the rule or agrees that the rules should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1972, the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936 and Foreign Marriage Act, 1969.