Maharashtra changes tack; panel to track only interfaith marriages, not intercaste

The Maharashtra government backtracked and issued a new Government Resolution (GR) on Thursday (December 15), limiting the task of a new Committee it had set up on Wednesday, to gather information only on interfaith marriages in the state.

One December 14, the government had constituted a 13-member “Intercaste/Interfaith Marriage-Family Coordination Committee,” to gather details about couples in such marriages, and information about the maternal families if the couple was separated. The committee was set up under the state Women and Child Development Minister and BJP leader, Mangal Prabhat Lodha.

According to the new GR, the panel had been renamed ‘Interfaith Marriage-Family Coordination Committee (state level)’, and “it was under the government’s consideration to amend the committee that was set up.”

Opposition criticism

The government’s new GR was issued following criticism from the Opposition which pointed to the state government’s scheme of granting funds to couples who opt for intercaste marriage, ‘Incentive given to Encourage Intercaste Marriages’, an initiative of the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said, “The state government is encouraging inter-caste marriages and there is also a plan to give financial rewards to those who do it. But cheating in inter-faith marriages has increased in the past few years and some aspects have come to light in the Shraddha Walkar murder case.”

“It is alarming that there has been an increase in cases of cheating in interfaith marriages in some parts of the state. Therefore, fraud in the name of love jihad has to be stopped,” Fadnavis added.

Also read: Maharashtra govt sets up panel to look into inter-faith, inter-caste marriages

‘Spying on people’s private lives’

On Wednesday, reacting to the first GR, Nationalist Congress Party MLA and former Minister, Jitendra Awhad, tweeted, calling it a ‘rubbish committee’ and ‘retrograde’ step, and said the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government had no right to spy on the private life of people.

In response to Awhad’s criticism, Lodha said that the Opposition has “every right” to criticize them, but the government has the responsibility to save the lives of people.

He also said that the department would soon launch a distress helpline for women in inter-faith and intercaste marriages.

“They can reach out to us for any kind of help that is required, and immediate assistance will be provided,” he said.

Committee’s tasks

According to the original GR, the panel will hold regular meetings with district officials and collect information on registered and unregistered interfaith and intercaste marriages.

In case of elopement, it will act as a platform for women and their family members to avail counselling to resolve the issue. It will also monitor district-level initiatives for women involved in such marriages to assist, if necessary.

Apart from holding regular meetings with district officials, the committee members from government and non-government fields will study policies at the Central and state levels regarding welfare schemes and laws related to the matter.