Do you imagine a marriage where you can get married without any religious rituals? Here you neither have to call a Pandit nor spend a lot of money. Besides, this marriage also gets legal recognition. Actually we are talking about Suyamariyathai marriage i.e. self-respect marriage.
What is self-respect marriage?
In self-respect marriage, two people get married without following any customs. It is necessary to register such marriages legally. The purpose of this marriage was to simplify the process of any marriage and keep it free from customs and rituals. In the year 1968, the Hindu Marriage Act 1995 (Amendment) was passed in the Assembly. Section 7A was added to this Act and under this section self-respect marriage was declared valid.
How did self-respect marriage begin?
Social reformer and leader Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy started the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu in 1925. The purpose of which was to remove caste discrimination and to give respect to the so-called lower caste people present in the society. Self-respect marriage emerged from the self-respect movement. Let us tell you that the first self-respect marriage was organized in the year 1928. In this marriage, people of any religion or caste can choose each other as their life partner. The interesting thing is that this type of marriage is recognized only in Tamil Nadu. Till now many couples have done self-respect marriage.
Supreme Court changed the decision of Madras High Court
Self-respect marriage has always been a part of controversies. Many people also oppose this marriage done without customs. Madras High Court had also declared this marriage conducted by advocates illegal in the year 2014. However, in the year 2023, the Supreme Court overturned this decision of the Madras High Court and considered it valid.