The HC in Chandigarh – the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana – is a safe haven for runaway couples. More than 100 cases are registered daily before the HC involving lovers from both the states. To meet the needs of these fledgling couples, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, so-called ‘wedding shops’ have sprung up on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
The main objective of these runaway couples is to get married in a gurudwara or temple, obtain proof of their marriage and then approach the High Court through security petitions seeking protection of their lives and freedom from the rejected relatives.
No limit for ‘wedding shops’
A large number of ‘wedding shops’ lining the approach road to the famous Mata Mansa Devi Temples in Panchkula provide all the services to these young couples to stay together for the next “seven births”.
For these ‘wedding shops’, there is no limit or prohibition on inter-religious, inter-caste and same-gotra (a big social taboo in Haryana) marriages. Runaway couples are also given subsidized hotels or shelter homes by these ‘wedding shops’ until they get a positive response from the High Court. TOI visited the area and found that the entire route leading to the main entrance of the Mansa Devi temple was dotted with reassuring boards inviting gullible young couples to celebrate weddings with “authentic marriage certificates”. is.
Interestingly, they claim to provide young couples with everything they need for a wedding, including clothing, makeup for the bride, photographs and even a lawyer if they need protection from family or relatives. Is required. These ‘wedding shops’ have a list of all the items needed to prepare the bride and groom for their wedding. Even couples are allowed to visit Mata Mansa Devi temple by ‘marriage shops’ wearing rented wedding dress to seek divine blessings. However, clothing and imitation jewelery will have to be returned after the entire wedding and subsequent photo session is over.
Posing as a client and visiting these ‘marriage shops’ TOI, I found that everything has a fixed price. The fledgling couple, depending on their financial capability, may opt for a part of the wedding package or a complete package. Starting from Rs 5,100 for getting married with marriage certificate, taking photographs and Saptapadi (seven steps around the fire) with exchange of garlands, Rs 16,000 which includes all this and lawyer which will assist them in HC.
These ‘marriage shops’ also perform marriages of fugitive couples sent by advocates who require marriage certificate as per the customs and religion of the couple to file a petition before the HC for the protection of their life and liberty. is.
Interestingly, the priests attending these weddings are well aware of the procedure followed for petitions by the fledgling couples in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. While interacting with the Times of India, one of them said that while the runaway couples need a lot of guidance, they should also be told that their wedding photos, which will be attached to the petition, should show them wearing masks .
Akhilesh Pandey, a priest sitting in a shop called Vaidik Pujan Kendra, told TOI that the head priest in the ‘shop’, Pandit Rakesh Sharma, was an expert in celebrating such weddings and could manage everything from date of birth to valid marriage certificates based on Aadhaar. and order of the High Court. “Everything can be done within two days, no one else can give such a guarantee. We are doing around 70-80 marriages in a month and some such cases include approaching the High Court for protection,” claimed Akhilesh during an interaction with TOI as a potential client. Making tall claims about his clout and expertise in the field, he said he has a tie-up with a ‘dhaba’ (hotel or shelter home) where the couple can stay till a security order from the high court is issued.
These ‘wedding shops’ also get “clients” on the recommendations of other fledgling couples who have used their services in the past. TOI found that marriage certificates attached with their pleas for protection were issued by a large number of fledgling couples from these marriage shops located in the nearby market. Mansa Devi Shrine. Sonipat couple too Vinay Dahiya And Kiran Dahiya, who was recently shot dead by the girl’s family in Delhi, got married at one such ‘wedding shop’ located near the Mansa Devi temple.
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