Did you know registration of marriage will soon be must for NRIs?
REGISTRATION OF NRI MARRIAGES BILL 2019 PROPOSES STRINGENT PENALTIES FOR INDIAN MEN ABANDONING WIVES
Indian men in the UAE will be required to register their marriage with Indian women within 30 days if a new legislation proposing penal action against violators becomes a law.
India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj introduced the Registration of NRI Marriages Bill 2019 in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Indian parliament) on Monday.
A joint initiative of the ministries of External Affairs, Women and Child Development, Home Affairs and Law and Justice, the bill aims to offer more protection against exploitation and abandonment of Indian women by their Non-Resident Indian (NRI) spouses.
Proposed amendments
It proposes an amendment to the Passport Act to empower the passport authority to impound or revoke an NRI’s passport if it is brought to the notice of the authority that he has not registered his marriage within 30 days.
It has also proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 to empower Indian courts to issue summons and warrants to erring NRI husbands through a speciallydesignated website of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The bill also has provisions for the attachment of properties belonging to an NRI if he does not appear before a court and is declared a Proclaimed Offender by the court.
Passports cancelled
According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Integrated Nodal Agency that was formed to look into this issue has already cancelled passports of 33 NRIs for abandoning their wives and issued eight Look-Out Circulars against absconding husbands. of marital disputes received by Indian consulate every year
The Indian Consulate in Dubai receives around 150 cases of marital disputes every year. These include cases of desertion of NRI women and noncompliance with court orders from India, Vipul, Consul General of India in Dubai, said.
“When the accused men do not receive the court summons and do not appear for the hearings or abide by the court’s verdict, it is difficult for us to bring them to justice. With this law, Indian authorities can cancel their passports and we can intimate timeframe to register marriage as proposed by the bill the local authorities here about it.”
Once the passport is cancelled, a violator would not be able to travel or process a visa.
Portal for registration
The ministry yesterday said it has also developed a portal for registration of NRI marriages as a deterrent. “It will be linked to all registrars of marriages in the country for automatic updation of details,” it said in a tweet.
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What is the bill about?
The Registration of NRI Marriages Bill 2019 is a joint initiative of the ministries of External Affairs, Women and Child Development, Home Affairs and Law and Justice. It proposes to amend the Passport Act and the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973.
What are its objectives?
It aims to enhance coordination to offer more protection against exploitation and abandonment of Indian women by NRI spouses.
What are the legal implications for violators?
Apart from impounding or revoking a violator’s passport, the bill seeks to empower Indian back home will have to register in India, those marrying in the UAE can register their weddings with the Indian missions here, said Vipul.
“We will link our marriage registration database with the ministry’s portal in future,” he told Gulf News.
Vipul said the rules under the law will be envisaged and implemented in such a way that misuse of its provisions will not be allowed.
“The government will definitely not take action without courts to issue summons and warrants to erring NRI husbands through a specially designated website. It also has provisions for attaching properties if the individual is declared a Proclaimed Offender by a court.
What is the procedure to register marriages?
While expats marrying back home will have to register in India, those marrying in the UAE can register with Indian missions. any complaint or without studying the cases thoroughly,” he assured.
Since expanding the ambit of the Indian Community Welfare Fund in September 2017, he said the mission has provided financial aid to about six Indian women who were deserted by their husbands.
Indian missions in the UAE can disburse up to Dh11,000 to women abandoned or cheated or abused by their spouses if they do not have any means of livelihood.