The Anand district administration has initiated a probe into 1,804 marriage registrations in Tarapur taluka after it came to light that the officer incharge—Talati AN Makwana—had subverted important document checks before registering the marriages.
While District Development Officer Milind Bapna ordered Makwana’s “immediate suspension” Wednesday this week, a probe has been initiated at the level of the Taluka Development Officer (TDO).
On Friday, Bapna told The Indian Express that the administration had come across marriage registrations allegedly involving minors as well, among other irregular registrations. “We had come across complaints from one of the villages in Tarapur where the number of marriage registrations exceeded 1,000, while the population of the village is only about 1,500, for instance… As the officials delved into the allegations of irregularities, more facts came to the fore. We do not have the exact number of cases involving minors or those with incomplete or faulty documentation. But the probe is on at the TDO level. If needed, we will also seek police action in the case.”
According to the administration, among the 1,806 registrations, 365 were recorded in Saanth village, while 1,293 were in Rel village. Similarly, Valli village has 113 marriages registered, 28 in Khakhsar and five in Jinaj—all located in Tarapur taluka—that are under the scanner. “In some cases, the documentation is incomplete or subverted like checking age proof. In some cases, the mandatory 30-day notice seeking objection has been ignored or in some cases, the old marriages registered as per the 2006 law did not have the mandatory documents needed for the same. The administration is moving to file an FIR in the case, once all the details are available,” an official from the district administration said.