Court annuls inter-faith marriage after woman goes back on promise to convert

A family court recently annulled a marriage between a Hindu man and a Muslim woman after the husband said that before the wedding the woman had promised him that she would practise his religion, but afterwards she refused to do it and thus it amounted to "taking his consent fraudulently".

The husband had moved the family court to declare the marriage as null and void under section 12 (1) (c) of the Hindu Marriage Act, which was allowed. The husband's plea stated that before marriage the woman converted to Hinduism and even adopted a Hindu name but, later, refused to practise it.

It was alleged that on the first day of marriage in 2013 the woman offered namaz in the husband's house and, when he objected to it, she left the house and did not return. The woman also told him that she did not actually intend to convert and the conversion was only on paper.

The husband alleged the material facts of her intention to retain her religion and not to convert was concealed from him.

The court issued a notice to the woman but she did not appear before it to file her reply. Thus, the court passed an ex-parte order and annulled the marriage between the couple by granting a decree of nullity.