Contract marriages to be regulated, says Telangana Deputy Chief Minister

HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali said the state government was introducing a legislation to regulate the contract marriages. He said the government had initiated measures to curb illegal contract marriages. Mr Ali, replying to a question by MLC M.S. Prabhakar Rao during Question Hour in the Council, said nine cases were registered in the city between 2011 and 2017 and four qazis were suspended for performing illegal marriages. The issue was a social menace, he said.

MIM MLC Syed Amin Jafri said his party would support all measures to curb illegal contract marriages. Some guidelines including the mandatory age difference between the bride and groom and financial support to the girls’ families are followed in Gulf Cooperation Council, Indian rules were over 140 years old and there was a need to formulate new rules in consultation with the external affairs ministry, he said.