CHANDIGARH, Sept 18, 2025: Congress leader and MLA Padma Shri Pargat Singh on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to fully implement the Anand Marriage (Anand Karaj) Act, calling it a historic step that restores the dignity and identity of the Sikh community.
“This decision is not just a legal order—it is recognition of the unique identity, traditions and dignity of Sikhs. Future generations will no longer be compelled to register their Anand Karaj marriages under any other law,” he said at Chandigarh.
Pargat Singh noted that the Anand Marriage Act was first enacted in 1909 and amended in 2012 under then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to provide legal recognition to Sikh marriages. Despite this, he said, couples were still forced to register under the Hindu Marriage Act for decades.
“The Supreme Court has now ended this neglect. Every Sikh family can proudly register their marriage under the Anand Marriage Act. This is about equality, justice and self-respect,” he said.
He urged all 17 states and seven union territories that have yet to frame rules to act quickly, naming Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, Puducherry, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“The delay in justice has already caused suffering. There must be no delay in implementation now,” Pargat Singh said, adding that the Congress party would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the Sikh community to ensure compliance.
