‘Will study possibility of mandating parents’ consent in love marriages’: Gujarat CM

Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, has stated that his administration will investigate the prospect of requiring parental approval for love marriages "within the ambit of the Constitution." The state's health minister, Rushikeshbhai Patel, had discussed with the chief minister the need to "relook" at elopement instances, according to the chief minister, who was speaking at a Patidar (a prominent community in Gujarat) community gathering on Sunday, July 30. He added that research should be conducted “so that something can be done to ensure parental consent is present in love marriages.” “If the Constitution does not become a hindrance, we will carry out a study on that. And we will try to ensure that good results are achieved based on the study,” Bhupendra Patel said.

The Chief Minister's comments drew appreciation from the opposition Congress. Imran Khedawala, a Congress MLA, reportedly wrote to Bhupendra Patel on Monday to express his support for the scheme. He insisted that this was a family matter and not a Hindu-Muslim conflict, the News Minute reported.

“The woman’s family breaks down and is unable to face the society when she elopes. Parents raise their children, so their consent should be mandatory. I know many cases where women left their houses against the wishes of their parents but regretted it later.”

The state's Chief Minister made the statement months after Congress MLA Genibem Thakore and BJP legislator Fatesinh Chauhan demanded that the state's marriage law be changed to include parental approval. The two MLAs requested that the Gujarat Registration of Marriages Act, 2009 be changed to allow for the registration of love marriages in the same taluk as the woman's home, in the presence of neighbourhood witnesses, and with her parents' permission.