Anand Marriage Act to come into force in Sikkim from June 1
PTC News Desk: The Anand Marriage Act, 1909, which allows Sikh couples to register marriages performed under the traditional ‘Anand Karaj’ ceremony within a separate legal framework, will come into force in Sikkim from June 1 following intervention by the Supreme Court of India. The move will enable members of the Sikh community in the state to directly register marriages solemnised through Anand Karaj rites.
A September 2025 judgment by the Supreme Court accelerated the implementation of the 1909 law in Sikkim. Until now, many Sikh couples had been registering their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 for legal purposes.
According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on May 14, “the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of June, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 shall come into force in the State of Sikkim.”
The notification came after Sikkim framed and issued the official Sikkim Anand Marriage Registration Rules, 2026, which lay down the procedures for marriage registration in the state.
The rules followed a landmark Supreme Court verdict in the Amanjot Singh Chadha vs Union of India case in September 2025, which addressed administrative gaps in implementing the law.
Although a 2012 amendment to the Anand Marriage Act introduced provisions for state-level registration mechanisms, several states, including Sikkim, had not framed the required rules. The Supreme Court had directed these states to establish the necessary procedures. In the absence of such rules, Sikh couples were often compelled either not to register their marriages or to do so under the broader Hindu Marriage Act.
- PTC NEWS
