All NRI Marriage Details To Soon Be Uploaded On WCD Portal

Cases of ill-treatment of women by their NRI husbands have caught the attention of the Women and Child ministry. It plans to launch a website with details of NRI marriages. The ministry has directed all registrars across India to upload details of NRI marriages on the website.

The WCD ministry secretary is heading an integrated nodal agency dealing with NRI marriage rows. It was set up on December 20.

“Having a website that has all data related to marriages of NRIs with Indian nationals, including the address of the NRI groom, where he works, etc. will help us to tackle complaints more promptly. It will be mandatory for registrars to upload all details soon after a marriage is registered,” said a senior official to HT

Union Minister Sushma Swaraj is leading an inter-ministerial panel which will provide suggestions on the legal and regulatory challenges women abandoned by NRI men face.

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There is little data with the Indian authorities on the number of NRI marriages that take place every year. Junior external affairs minister VK Singh told Parliament that since 2015, Indian women filed 3,328 complaints of dispute with NRI husbands.

“The panel has suggested that the law ministry amend the Indian Evidence Act to make the summons served on the website legally tenable”

The inter-ministerial panel recommended uploading the court summons issued to NRI men on the website.

“The panel has suggested that the law ministry amend the Indian Evidence Act to make the summons served on the website legally tenable,” said another official. This amendment can act as a breakthrough in solving a major problem Indian authorities face while dealing with cases of NRI marriages.

Currently, Indian mission and Posts have no authority to implement an order in case of NRI marriage. Indian forces can deal with NRI marital issue only when the other country accepts Indian legal assistance.

“The law ministry has been directed to examine the proposal,” added WCD ministry official.

Punjab is one of the few states that have registered NRI marriages on the website. The panel has directed that all the NRI marriage details should enter the website within the first week of solemnising.

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