In a recent move, law commission has suggested the government to make registration of marriages compulsory. The law panel, in a report submitted to the government on July 4, 2017 suggested that registration of marriages should be made compulsory with a fine being charged for non-compliance within 30 days.

The commission that was headed by retired SC justice B S Chauhan, submitted a report to the Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The law commission answered a question put forward by the central government regarding the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

The above mentioned bill was given a go-ahead after SC's verdict in the 'Seema vs Ashwani Kumar case' (2006) where the apex court suggested that mandatory registration of marriages irrespective of the should be an independent law.

A bill was tabled in the Parliament in 2012 but was lapsed at the end of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014. The Supreme Court thus suggested a need for a similar bill.

"It is not desirable to have a separate legislation for compulsory registration of marriage as it may not serve any useful purpose," the report submitted by the law commission stated.

The commission thus feels that linking Aadhar card to marriage certificates will be helpful in tracking records. The commission also felt that linking Aadhar number to marriage registration certificate will help prevent fraudulent marriages and also help in the prevention of cases of denial of subsistence to deserted women.

"This deprives women of societal recognition and legal security. Such fraudulent marriages are especially on rise among Non-Resident Indians. Compulsory registration can serve as a means to ensure that conditions of a valid marriage have been performed," the report said.

Linking of Aadhar card to the marriage certificate could be seen as a move which might give the social status of marriages in India a new meaning, and the increasing number of fraudulent marriages might be curbed.

"Instances of marriage fraud have also come to light in recent times. In the absence of compulsory registration, women are duped into marrying without performance of the conditions of a valid marriage," it said.

The law commission also stated that the bill will not interfere with any personal marriage laws. The report stated," "Thus, while Bill does not aim at eliminating the diversity of personal laws, or regional differences seeking merely the registration of marriages regardless of the law under which the marriages are recognised or solemnised, it recommends that these various overlapping and contradicting legislations be borne in mind while framing the rules of registration."

Recently, the government made it mandatory to link Aadhar card to PAN cards wef July 1, 2017. The move was said to be a step towards prevention of tax frauds.

The Aadhar number is a unique number assigned to each citizen of India. The number has certain biometric information linked to it which can make it easier to track an individual.

The linking of Aadhar to bank accounts, PAN, mobile numbers etc. has received mixed responses from the people. Some feel that it is a good move as it will assist the authorities to be able to track criminals and prevent fraud, while many feel that Aadhar is an infringement to their privacy.