New Delhi: Taking up cudgels on behalf of inter-faith marriage couples, the Punjab and Haryana high court has stated that the procedure for a court marriage “must reflect the mindset of the changed times in a secular nation promoting inter-religion marriages,” said a report in the Indian Express.Ruling on the plea of an inter-faith marriage of a Hindu-Muslim couple, the court observed that government officials must not put obstacles in the way of such matrimonial alliances, by “raising eyebrows and laying snares and landmines.”A Hindu-Muslim couple – with one individual from Gurugram and the other from Faridabad – wished to register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act without undergoing religious conversion. In this context, the couple had submitted a plea against court marriage rules framed by the Haryana government.After hearing the plea, Justice Narain Raina in his order said that the Court Marriage Check List (CMCL) issued by the Haryana government, violates the couple’s right to privacy.He urged the state of Haryana to “suitably modify and simplify the CMCL to bring it in line with the Act by minimal executive interference”. Observing that that CMCL guidelines seem “particularly offensive and excessive,” and in transgression of the Special Marriage Act, the order said that the list of conditions should steer clear of unnecessary restrictions in case of such marriages.According to the Indian Express report, the petitioners had sought directions that the district marriage officer in Gurugram should not send notices of their intended marriage to their parents. The couple had also urged that the matter should not appear in national newspapers.The woman, a Hindu, contended that since her parents are opposed to the marriage, the usual procedure of the check list should not be followed, as such a procedure would impinge on their right to privacy.Tanu Bedi, the advocate who represented the couple, reportedly argued that the condition which stipulates that the couple should not be staying at the same place is tantamount to moral policing especially when live-in relationships have been recognised by the judiciary.After hearing the arguments, the high court in its order ruled that the residential address declared by the couple before the marriage officer would be considered as self-attestation of their residential address.The court also directed the marriage officer to view their marriage application only within the legal framework of Special Marriage Act and the judgment. Justice Raina added that the notice for the intended marriage would be put up in the marriage officer’s office for 30 days, after which the officer may go on to register the marriage.Over the last three years, there has been an increasing number of incidents involving harassment of inter-faith couples who want to marry.Earlier this week, a Muslim youth was assaulted on the premises of a court in Ghaziabad, allegedly by members of a right-wing Hindu organisation. The victim was going to marry a Hindu woman.In December 2017, BJP and Bajrang Dal workers clashed with the police in Ghaziabad over the marriage of a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl.Not just couples who intend to marry, but there have been instance of married inter-faith couples facing discrimination and harassment from government officials.Last month, an inter-faith couple in Lucknow were harassed by an official at the passport office for marrying outside of their respective religions. Though their documents were in order, they only received their passports after intervention in the matter by the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.