Sanjay Kumar Mishra/Chandigarh
The Haryana Right to Service Commission has taken serious note of an unnecessary four-month delay in issuing a marriage certificate and has imposed a symbolic fine of Rs.1,000 on the Tehsildar-cum-Marriage Registrar of Hansi. The Commission has also directed that a compensation of Rs. 5,000 be paid to the complainant by the tehsildar. This action has been taken under Section 17(1)(h) of the Right to Service Act.
Sharing information in this regard a spokesperson of the commission said that the case began when a resident of Hisar applied for their marriage registration on March 10, 2025. The marriage had taken place on November 28, 2023, and the application was submitted with the consent of the couple's parents in the delayed marriage registration category. Both bride and groom are domiciles of Haryana having valid Family IDs, which confirm their age and address.
The spokesperson further said that the Marriage Registrar raised an objection, citing the absence of a birth certificate, and did not issue the marriage registration certificate. According to the complainant, the Tehsil office demanded a hardcopy of documents and additional documents as well. However, as per Haryana government guidelines dated on July 19, 2024, age and address can also be verified by Family ID. Therefore no separate documents are required for verification.
(SUBHEAD)In the hearing held before the Right to Service commission on July 15,2025 the Marriage Registrar admitted that he relied on the statements of the marriage clerk and did not review the instructions himself. He acknowledged the mistake, expressed regret, and assured the Commission that the certificate would be issued as early as possible.
The Commission viewed this as a case of serious negligence. It said that marriage registration, a service with a set timeline of 5 to 7 days, should not have been delayed for four months. It was also observed that had the officer followed the instructions on time, the certificate could have been issued much earlier.
In addition, the Commission has directed CRID to organise training-cum-sensitization sessions for Marriage Registrars and related officers so that the government's guidelines issued in this regard can be followed by the field offices effectively.
