Hindu-Christian marriage invalid under Hindu Act: Indian Supreme Court

Isn't it just!

17,000 for a certificate eeks! I got married for less than half that and I paid the priest more generously than is needed and this includes a lunch for the guests and a lot of gifts to the ashram of the priest. Wow you could have had the shuddhi ceremony and the marriage the same day and paid a sum not exceeding Rs 1000/-. Whether you use the name given to you at the ceremony or not is up to you. My husband and many of his friends choose not to use their Hindu names for practical reasons but there are some who do adopt their given name and go through the hassles of changing all their documents accordingly.
Yeah hindsight is 20/20

I think because the guy knew we wanted to hurry and I was white he charged whatever he wanted. We did it in less than a week from first meeting him. The courthouses in Bombay are truly packed and I don't know how possible it would have been without an agent. It was unpleasant enough... without having someone there to grease the wheels a little I don't know if we could have actually done it. I do know that out of the 100's of people squashed into the room that day and shoving to get to the official's desk, we were one of the few that actually got seen, even though we still we bruised and battered.

We got the marriage certificate the next day, complete with whatever seals from other departments are deemed necessary for people who may travel overseas with it. I never thought I would look kindly on the drive-thru weddings at Vegas .. hehe, but after that it looked great!

Well as long as the things got done and you got the certificate, consider the money well spent. We had to register our marriage too but the Arya Samaj certificate made it a lot easier and we didn't have to wait a bit just went in showed the certificate got the marriage registered distributed a box of sweets and next day collected the registration certificate.

After much delibration for 6 months after my marriage with a christian girl, i finally applied for registration under Special Marraige Act last month, and now waiting for the 30 days notice period to be over near christmas time . I had to pay 1500Rs. to the agent for submitting the Papers. Keeping my fingers crossed until i have the certificate in hand.

What I want to know is what the India courts define as a hindu

Someone who was either born a Hindu or adopted hinduism and possesses a certificate that says that they have converted to Hinduism. (Same as any other religion).

Yes.. ultimately you just have to 'let it go' and not think about it I am interested though... what city/town did you do this? How could you just 'go in'? Was there not a sea of people you had to fight through to get to the desk? How did you get seen?

So glad it was a nice experience for you

We did it in Uttarkashi. There are people queuing up there too but we had an appointment and the registrar was intimidated by the presence of a tall white man so he did it quickly as he wanted us out

Haha good for you. I guess smaller towns are the best idea... Bandra Court is a madhouse... probably the whole population of your town in the surrounding streets

No probably the whole town and the surrounding villages
Can you believe I can go without seeing anyone for hours in the place where we are building our house .... thought that was impossible in India. Sadly that is about to change some people are building very close out of line of sight but still close enough!

Oh my goodness! That sounds blissful. Enjoy it while it lasts... quite a treat! Pity someone wants to build so close though Fingers crossed it's the only ones.

Any priest in any temple can do it, not only Arya Samaj.

So you did not have to change your name (I assume it is a non-Hindu name) to a Hindu name?

What name did he have stated in his conversion certificate? If the certificate stated a new, Hindu name, how did the registrar accept it?

No way - I wouldn't have done that. I'm from New Zealand (not Indian)... and I didn't change my surname. That wasn't a problem. The whole Hindu thing was a formality for us so we could get married quicker. I was an atheist before, and still am.

Shhhh! That might be used against you in divorce proceedings under the Hindu Marriage Act! It seems, anyway, that "Hindu" is big enough to include us "atheists" anyway, or, at least, that is what some learned people tell me, and I continue to love temples, Hindu ritual and devotional music.

I thought I remembered something about being given a Hindu name being part of the "deal" --- but I don't remember, and It might be part of some other ceremony on the Hindu-life route.

but... just being given that name surely doesn't mean that one has to change all the formal stuff, does it?

I wanted to do the Aria Samaj thing, but my wife would not convert, not even nominally, and not even although she wouldn't even have had to, as she was born Hindu, and all her documents still show that. I won't do Christian, she won't do Hindu: it was the Special Marriage Act for us!

Judecg, I imagine you registered your marriage? How was that procedure?