DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, May 29, 2006: Durban: Hindu leaders in South Africa have asked the government to amend the country’s Marriage Act to accommodate customs and practices of the religion. The call followed an application by one Suchitra Singh to the local High Court for recognition of her Hindu marriage to Jailall Ramparsad
in Durban 18 years ago. Singh, who was forced to move out of her marital home by her husband four years ago, now wants a legal separation to marry someone else. But this could happen only after her marriage is recognized by the country’s law. She claimed in her application that her rights had been violated by the Marriage Act of South Africa as it did not recognise her Hindu marriage. President of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of South Africa, Bisraam Rambilaas, said a Hindu marriage was a “binding contact” and any attempt to dilute its importance was unacceptable. “The fact that a couple may choose not to register their marriage (under South African Marriage Act) should not detract from the gravity and solemnity of the Hindu marriage,” he said.
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