Clearing the decks for Manipuri civil rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu to marry her British-origin partner Desmond Anthony Bellarmine Coutinho on August 16, the jurisdictional Sub-Registrar to whom Mr. Coutinho and Ms. Sharmila had submitted an application to register their marriage last month has rejected objections filed by one V. Mahendran opposing their marriage.
In an order issued in this connection here on Friday, the Sub-Registrar stated that the only conditions required for a couple to get married as per Section 4 of the Special Marriage Act were that the applicant should not have any other life partner; he/she should be in good mental health; and should have attained the age prescribed for marriage under the Act.
Only when there were discrepancies in the above aspects, the Sub-Registrar has the right to reject permission to a proposed marriage. As the objections raised by the petitioner Mahendran did not come under this Section of this Act, it stands rejected, the Order said.
On July 12, Ms. Irom Sharmila, who has been living in Kodaikanal since the Manipur Assembly elections earlier this year, had submitted an application to marry Mr. Coutinho. As per rules, the couple is required to give a 30-day notice period to enable any objections to be filed.
Mr. Mahendran, who filed the first petition objecting to the activist’s marriage, had also submitted documents to claim that her presence in the hill station could disrupt law and order in view of her involvement with the tribals there.