Hindu boy, Muslim girl struggling to get their marriage registered

GREATER NOIDA: A couple in UP is running from pillar to post to get their marriage registered. The couple alleged that officers do not register their marriage saying that the state government has soft corner for Muslims and they (officers) do not want to indulge in any controversy. The girl belonged to Muslim community while the boy is Hindu. The district administration, on the other hand, said that the couple is not properly following the channel.
Talking to TOI, Manjeet Bhati said that he had got married to one Salma in Allahabad on October 21, 2015.She later converted her name to Sapna. “Fearing life threats, we approached Allahabad high court on October 26 for protection. On October 28, the court ordered for protection. We then returned Delhi and stayed for some days in Anand Vihar. Then we applied in Meerut court to get our marriage registered,” Bhati said.
“During that period, my wife was kept in Nari Niketan and all medical tests were conducted and police verification was also done. The court on December 21, 2015 given consent to our marriage. I had met with SSP GB Nagar and sub-divisional magistrate Rajesh Singh for protection and marriage registration. Theu kept on misleading us, and finally, one day they said that our marriage will be registered in Greater Noida,” Bhati said.
“One officer in registration department demanded bribe of Rs 50,000 but when he came to know that the girl is a Muslim, he maintained distance. Many officers, off-the-record, have told us that this government is pro-Muslim, hence they can not help us. I even asked them to give us in writing the reason for refusing marriage registration,” Bhati said. On January 8, he had applied for marriage registration online and prior to that, he had personally met with the concerned officers in Dadri.
Commenting on the issue, sub-divisional magistrate Rajesh Singh said that all allegations are baseless. The couple has not followed proper procedure. “I have doubts that the papers they produced are fake. If they will follow proper channel, their marriage will be registered,” he said.
When asked about details of proper channel, he said, “the couple had to apply in registration department and then produce concerned papers. The registration department will ask me for verification, I will file a report and later their marriage will be registered,” he added.