Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bupendra Patel recently announced that his government will explore the possibility of requiring parental consent for marriages against the family’s wishes. The statement was made during an event organized by the Sardar Patel Group in Mehsana, where representations were made about rising cases of Hindu girls eloping with boys from different communities.
Former Deputy CM Nitin Patel highlighted the nationwide issue, stating that various communities in Gujarat are demanding legislation to deem such marriages without parental consent as illegal. The government had amended the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act in 2021 to penalize forcible or fraudulent religious conversions through marriage.
However, the Gujarat High Court stayed certain sections of the Act, stating that interfaith marriages without force, allurement, or fraudulent means cannot be termed as unlawful conversions. Human rights activists raised concerns about this Act being used specifically against interfaith marriages, with cases filed in different districts of Gujarat. The state government has appealed against the stay order in the Supreme Court, which is still pending.
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