An amendment was passed in the Hindu Marriage Act in 1968, giving sanctity to ‘priestless marriages’.
This stance was recently ratified by the Madras High Court, while dismissing a PIL filed against the amendment.
A dual bench comprising Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said “the Hindu religion by itself is pluralist in character and thus various forms of marriage have traditionally existed depending on the area and the custom prevalent therein.”
