Court marriage in India takes place in 5 steps.
Step 1: Notice of marriage
The first step is to give a notice of marriage to the marriage officer. The couple needs to give notice to the marriage officer of the district where at least one of them is residing for 30 days before giving notice.
Step 2: Publishing of notice and compulsory waiting period
The marriage officer will display the notice in his office at a place where it is visible.
He also needs to forward the notice to the district of each party’s permanent residence.
After display of the notice in the above manner, the compulsory waiting period of 30 days begins. Anyone can object to the marriage within this period. But, the objection should be as per the Act and the eligibility conditions. Any person who believes that the marriage violates one or more eligibility conditions can object to it. But, not otherwise. So, if a person objects to your marriage due to some other reason, he has no legal basis of doing so.
If there is no objection to the marriage within 30 days of publishing the above notice, the marriage officer can perform the marriage.
Step 3: Objections and investigation
If the marriage officer receives an objection, he will record it in the notice book. He will then investigate the objection. If he feels that the objection does not come in the way of marriage, he can go ahead and perform the marriage.
If the marriage officer finds the objection to be valid, he can refuse to solemnize the marriage.
In any case, he cannot take more than 30 days to arrive at a decision.
In case of refusal, the couple can appeal to the district magistrate within 30 days of such decision.
Step 4: Declaration by parties and witnesses
The Bride, the Groom, and three witnesses need to sign the below declaration in the presence of the marriage officer. It is not necessary to sign the declaration in the marriage officer’s office. If the parties wish, they can do it at any other place which is at a reasonable distance.
Moreover, the parties can choose the manner of solemnizing the marriage. But, the marriage will not be complete without both parties saying the below words. The parties can say these words in any language that they understand.
I (A) take (B) to be my lawful wife (or husband)
After saying the above words, the bride and the groom become husband and wife. The last remaining step is to get a marriage registration certificate.
Step 5: Marriage registration certificate
The marriage officer will enter the marriage certificate in the Marriage Certificate Book. The couple and three witnesses need to sign this certificate.