Indian state's marriage clampdown

By Narayan Bareth
BBC News, Jaipur

Women's groups have welcomed the new law

The government in the western Indian state of Rajasthan has made it compulsory to register all marriages.

The decision follows a Supreme court ruling in February asking federal and state governments to pass laws requiring compulsory registration.

"Not a single marriage would be allowed without registration" said the state's Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilawar.

The government will charge a nominal fee for the registration, which has been welcomed by women's groups.

'Evil marriages'

They say the new law will help check illegal child marriages.

"Child marriages are rampant in Rajasthan. Seventeen percent (of) women here become mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 years," social activist Kavita Srivastava told the BBC.

"We hope marriage registration will help in checking the evil of child marriages."

According to Indian law the minimum age a woman can marry is 18, while for men it is 21. A previous attempt by a state minister to introduce compulsory marriage registration five years ago failed.

The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh already have laws making registration of marriages compulsory.

But a majority of marriages in India are not registered because ceremonies are performed according to religious rites.

Registering marriages has essentially been an urban phenomenon and married couples usually register only when there is a specific legal requirement, such as obtaining visas.