Sitting at Allahabad High Court, Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh ruled that a Hindu marriage is invalid without 'Saat Phere' (vowing to live together while walking around a sacred fire seven times) or ‘Saptapadi’ (where the newly wed couple take seven steps together after tying the sacred knot) and said that since the plaintiff had failed to provide any "corroborative materials" as evidence to support his case against his wife, the proceedings were quashed.
“It is well settled that the word ‘solemnize’ means, in connection with a marriage, ‘to celebrate the marriage with proper ceremonies and in due form’. Unless the marriage is celebrated or performed with proper ceremonies and due form, it cannot be said to have been ‘solemnized’. If the marriage is not a valid marriage, according to the law applicable to the parties, it is not a marriage in the eyes of law. The ‘Saptapadi’ ceremony under the Hindu law is one of the essential factors to constitute a valid marriage but the said evidence is lacking in the present case," the media reports quoted Justice Singh as saying.
“There is no proof with regard to ‘Saptapadi’ in the charges or in the statements before the court. Hence, this court is of the view that no prima facie offence is made against the applicants as the allegation of second marriage is a bald allegation without corroborative materials," the court observed.