MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court passed an order directing the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to pay incentives to three inter-caste marriage couples under the Dr Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration within eight weeks.
Justice GR Swaminathan passed the order while allowing the petitions filed by the couples, after they were denied incentives on the ground that their marriage was not registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
The Judge observed that the Central government had introduced the above scheme, feeling that inter-caste marriages could be one of the significant steps to reduce caste prejudice and untouchability. Hence, the scheme and the eligibility criteria mentioned in it should be interpreted by the authorities in a manner so as to effectuate the purpose of the scheme, he added.
Moreover, the Hindu Marriage Act, in its application in Tamil Nadu, not only applies to sacramental marriages but also to
Suyamariyathai (self-respect) and Seerthiruttha (reformist) marriages, the Judge opined. Therefore, he said that registration of marriage under the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriage Act should be more than sufficient for the purpose of disbursing incentives under the scheme.