Should you happen to visit a wedding venue in West Bengal, do not be taken aback if the marriage registrar makes an appearance with a laptop. Be prepared to be further surprised when the registrar pulls out a small fingerprint scanner.
Since November 1, the state government has started recording the biometrics of couples getting married, along with those of their witnesses. The new rule is a move towards digitising marriage data and preventing bigamy or polygamy, a source in the office of the Registrar General of Marriages of West Bengal said.
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“Polygamy is punishable under Section 494 of IPC (Indian Penal Code). In our experience, people, especially men, change their identity to get married multiple times. If we have every individual’s biometric detail, the system can identify if the applicant is already married,” the source said. The rule is currently applicable to marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1954 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
The biometrics of either the groom-to-be or bride-to-be will be recorded at the time of the application itself. When the wedding is finally registered, both partners will have to record their biometrics along with the witnesses. Each registrar will be able to access the online marriage portal by scanning their own fingerprints, and will get a window of 30 minutes to register the marriage.
Earlier, during registration of marriages, the paperwork was done on the spot—especially at wedding venues—and the online registration completed thereafter. With the advent of the biometrics system, online registration will now be done in real time in Bengal. The state started registering marriages online in June 2019.
“While recording of biometrics will strengthen either partner’s legal claims and bring down cases of polygamy or bigamy, it will also prevent fraudulent activities,” the source said, citing cases when an individual has been framed in false cases on the basis of fake or forged marriage certificates. With biometric registration, it will be effortless to identify if the accused is actually married and if so, to whom.
It will also help either of the partners—especially the woman—secure alimony if the marriage ends in a divorce. The source affirmed that the fingerprints will be masked and encrypted, which is why there is “no chance of hacking or identity theft”.
Registrars have been trained for this programme for months after the fingerprint scanners were procured. Since the new rule was rolled out, more than 5,500 marriage applications were received till November 15 and around 2,700 marriages registered.
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