The Christian community in Mumbai said that registration of weddings solemnised in churches has come to a halt after the last marriage officer in the city retired last month.
Recently, a resident of Vakola who visited the Marriage Registration Department at the New Administrative Building, opposite Mantralaya, found a notice outside the office informing the public that the work of marriage registration will not be taken up from now onwards. Weddings held at churches have to be verified by the government as a church ceremony alone is not recognised as proof of marriage for legal purposes.
A marriage certificate from the government is required for couples traveling abroad as spouses. While weddings at temples and other religious places can be registered at different places in the city, including municipal offices, only one centre in Mumbai provides marriage certificates under the Christian Marriage Act.
Tulip Miranda, advocate and municipal corporator from Vakola, Santacruz, said that earlier generations of Christians kept only the church wedding record as a valid marriage document. “However, after the registration process started couples also want marriages to be registered according to the law of the land. The church also advises couples to register their marriage before the religious ceremony,” said Miranda.
Christians said that marriage registration services have been halted and newlywed couples requiring marriage certificate verification by government authorities are now compelled to travel to Pune, the nearest office where the work can be done.The marriage registration office said that J J Valvi, Deputy Secretary, retired from government service on February 28, 2025. No other officer has been appointed in his place for the purpose of verifying the marriage registration, the office said.
Advocate Godfrey Pimenta said that a similar issue arose in 2020 when the previous Marriage Officer, Ashish Lopez, retired, leaving the position vacant for an extended period, causing significant inconvenience to hundreds of couples. “We urge the state government to prevent further hardship and promptly fill this vacancy,” said Pimenta, who has written to the government about the denial of services to citizens.
“The state government claims to offer various services through the mobile app ‘RTS Maharashtra’ and the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ Web Portal. In case of delays or unjustified denial of services, individuals can file a first and second appeal with senior department officials, while a third and final appeal can be submitted before the commission through the portal using their login credentials.”
