Couples who wish to register their marriage in Karnataka have been reminded of the documents needed to prove the age of the bride and groom. The Karnataka Registration and Stamps Department has ordered officials not to accept Aadhaar as proof of age during marriage registration. This is not a new requirement but is the reason why officials have been instructed to follow it while they verify the age of applicants.
The direction of the department is particularly important for couples preparing their marriage registration documents. Aadhaar is being widely used in India as an identity document, but it is not meant to be the primary document for establishing the exact date of birth of a person in all legal and administrative processes. For marriage registration, authorities need documentary proof to show that both individuals meet the age requirement.
Under the relevant rules in Karnataka, documents like birth certificates and school certificates are important to establish age. If no such documents are available, a medical certificate may be considered in accordance with the applicable procedure. So couples must carry age-related documents when applying for marriage registration instead of relying on Aadhaar.
Aadhaar can still be useful as an identity document during the registration process. However, officials have been told to distinguish between identity proof and age proof. This is especially important if the date of birth mentioned in Aadhaar differs from the date of birth recorded in an official birth or educational document.
The stricter verification is also of more importance for child marriages. Both people in marriage need to meet the minimum legal age requirement. Any uncertainty or difference in age documents will therefore lead to further verification before the marriage registration is completed.
Officials have come across cases where the age given in Aadhaar and the age reported on birth certificates are different. In some cases, age information in Aadhaar documents was also changed. Such discrepancies can make official verification difficult and can raise concerns if the state is trying to determine if a person is legally eligible to marry.
For couples who register their marriage, the safest way is to have an official birth certificate or school certificate ready as the primary age-related document. These documents will largely provide documentary evidence of the date of birth and will assist officials in determining eligibility for marriage according to the relevant marriage laws.
In cases where there is no birth certificate or school certificate at hand, the department has said that a medical certificate may be considered according to the rules. But getting such a certificate may be a more involved process. In that case, the applicant will have to go for a medical examination at a government hospital, and the doctors will evaluate the person's age.
A medical examination cannot always determine a person's exact birth date. As a result, a medical assessment may give an estimated age or an age range rather than a precise date. This is why official documentary evidence like a birth certificate or school certificate is generally more useful for age verification.
In effect, the direction is linked to the implementation of provisions on the prevention of child marriage, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and the relevant Karnataka rules. The objective of strict age verification is to ensure that marriage registrations comply with the legal requirements and that cases involving underage individuals are not improperly registered because of inadequate age documentation.
For couples who are in the process of registering their marriage in Karnataka, this new direction would present a problem, as only Aadhaar would be employed in the documentation process. They will have to take into account their birth and education records and ensure that they are consistent.
If the documents have different specifications, the applicants will be challenged on their documents and will be required to provide additional documentation. It is therefore advisable to resolve large differences between official documents before starting the registration process; in fact, the registration process is necessary.
For couples, the big lesson is simple: Aadhaar should be treated as an identity document, while an official birth certificate or school certificate should be kept ready to establish age for marriage registration. Proper documentation can make it easier for unnecessary delays to be avoided and easier to do the verification at the registration office.
