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This story is from December 23, 2006
Saat pheras for Aussie visa
Parag Patel 'showed' Sheetal as his legally wedded wife to the Australian high commission in order to obtain a visa for her.
Last month, the Australian high commission slapped a notice against him, questioning the legality of his marriage. The notice said, "The ceremony was not in keeping with the requirements of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which includes the performance of the 'saptapadi' ceremony.
You may either complete the required ceremonies or register the marriage under the Special Marriage Act".
Parag's modus operandi was simple — get a student's visa for Australia, return to India after a year, get engaged to a girl and return to Australia in 15 days flat.
"This way, he does not have to waste time and money on marriage ceremonies and gets a spouse with working rights in Australia,"says Vadodara-based immigration consultant Sandeep Jani.
"In fact, a large number of students with fake marriages come from Gujarat."The likes of Parag prompted the high commission to get strict with applicants for spouse visa or dependent student's visa, specifying the requirements of a Hindu marriage.
Though marriage registration in Gujarat does not mandate photographs, the high commission demands photographs showing the rituals, Jani adds.
"This problem is rampant among Patels who prefer to get their son engaged to a 'wife' who can work 20 hours a week. They return after a year and get married in style,"says citybased consultant Dinesh Shreevastav. Registration for marriage in Gujarat is a cakewalk. The couple only needs to submit their school leaving certificates, proof of residence and proof of residence of the 'pandit'. A senior official at the Ahmedabad marriage registrar's office said, "We have no provision to check the validity of the marriage or the pandit."As civil advocate Milan Bhatt adds, "Any Brahmin qualifies to be a pandit."
(Some names have been changed to protect identities)
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