The Manipur Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2008

Short title, extent and commencement

1. (1) This Act may be called the Manipur Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2008.
2. (2) It extends to the whole of the State of Manipur.
3. (3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

Definitions In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

1. (a) “marriage” includes all the marriages duly solemnized under any law for the time being in force including re-marriage;
2. (b) “Memorandum” means a memorandum of marriage as may be prescribed;
3. (c) “Parties” means the parties to the marriage;
4. (d) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
5. (e) “Registrar” means the Registrar of Marriages appointed under section 4;
6. (f) “State Government” means the State Government of Manipur.

Compulsory registration of marriages:

1. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, relating to the solemnization of marriages, all marriages—
   • (a) solemnized before the commencement of this Act; and
   • (b) solemnized after such commencement, within the territories of the State of Manipur, shall be compulsorily registered in the manner as may be provided in this Act.
2. (2) The registration of a marriage under this Act shall not be deemed to—
   • (a) invalidate any marriage solemnized in accordance with the provisions of any other law for the time being in force; or
   • (b) affect or change the validity of any marriage, the validity of which is otherwise recognized for any other purpose under the law.

Appointment of Registrar of Marriages:

1. (1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint such number of Registrars of Marriages as it thinks necessary for such local areas as may be specified in the notification.
2. (2) Every Registrar shall exercise such powers and perform such duties under this Act as may be prescribed by rules made by the State Government.
3. (3) The State Government may, by notification, appoint such number of Additional, Joint, Deputy or Assistant Registrars of Marriages as it may think fit for the purposes of this Act.
4. (4) Every Additional, Joint, Deputy or Assistant Registrar shall exercise such powers and perform such duties of the Registrar as may be authorized by the Registrar or as may be prescribed by the State Government. Provided that the Government may, by notification, appoint any person or officer to be the Registrar of Marriages for the purpose of this Act and such person or officer shall perform such functions as may be assigned to him under this Act.

Memorandum of marriage.

1. (1) For the purpose of facilitating the registration of marriages under this Act, a memorandum of marriage in such form as may be prescribed, shall be submitted to the Registrar in whose jurisdiction the marriage is solemnized, within a period of thirty days of the solemnization of the marriage, by the parties to the marriage.
2. (2) Every memorandum referred to in sub-section
3. (1) shall be accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed.
4. (3) The memorandum shall be signed by the parties to the marriage and by three witnesses.

Registration of marriage.

1. (1) Upon receipt of the memorandum of marriage under section 5, the Registrar shall, after being satisfied as to the correctness of the details given in the memorandum, register the marriage in the register of marriages in such manner as may be prescribed.
2. (2) The Registrar shall, after registering the marriage, issue a certificate of marriage to the parties to the marriage in such form as may be prescribed.

Register of marriages

1. (1) The Registrar-General shall cause to be maintained in such form as may be prescribed, a register of marriages registered under this Act.
2. (2) The register maintained under sub-section
3. (1) shall be at all reasonable times open to inspection, and shall be admissible as evidence of the statements therein contained.
4. (3) Certified extracts from the register shall, on application, be given by the Registrar-General to the applicant on payment of such fees as may be prescribed.

Appeal

1. (1) Any person aggrieved by any order of the Registrar-General under this Act may, within a period of thirty days from the date of such order, prefer an appeal to the District Collector.
2. (2) The District Collector shall, after giving the parties an opportunity of being heard, dispose of the appeal as expeditiously as possible and the decision of the District Collector shall be final.

Power to make rules

1. (1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.
2. (2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—
   • (a) the form of memorandum to be submitted under sub-section
3. (1) of section 5;
   • (b) the form of register to be maintained under sub-section
4. (1) of section 6;
   • (c) the period within which the memorandum is to be submitted under sub-section
5. (1) of section 5;
   • (d) the fees to be paid for the registration of a marriage and for the copies of entries in the register;
   • (e) the custody in which the register and other records shall be kept and the preservation of such register;
   • (f) any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.
6. (3) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the 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 session or the successive sessions aforesaid, the House agrees in making any modification in the rule or the House agrees that the rule 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.

Act not to invalidate marriage Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to invalidate any marriage which is valid under any law, custom or usage in force at the time of such marriage, and a marriage the registration of which has not been made under this Act shall not, for that reason, be deemed to be invalid.

-1 11. Power to remove difficulties:

1. (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the State Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, make such provisions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty: Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act.
2. (2) Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before the Legislative Assembly of Manipur.