Context:
National Commission of Minorities held a meeting with states and Union Territories to discuss the implementation of the Anand Marriage Act.
Anand Marriage Act:
- Deals with – Sikh Marriage
- Objective – To address concerns from the Sikh community regarding the validity of their marriages under existing Hindu marriage laws
- Legally recognises and protects Sikh marriages conducted through the Anand Karaj ceremony.
- History –
- Dates back to 1909 when the British Imperial Legislative Council passed a legislation for the recognition of the Sikh wedding ceremony Anand Karaj.
- Parliament passed the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Bill in 2012, bringing Sikh traditional marriages under the purview of legal recognition and was left for individual states to frame respective rules.
- Implementation – States including Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Meghalaya have reported implementing the Anand Marriage Act.
National Commission for Minorities:
- A statutory body established to safeguard and protect the rights of religious and linguistic minorities in the country.
- Set up under – National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
- Functions –
- Ensure that the constitutional and legal safeguards for the protection of minorities are implemented effectively.
- Evaluates the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States.
- Makes recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards and measures for the protection of minorities.
- Advises the central government on minority-related issues.
- Has the powers of a civil court while investigating any matters related to deprivation of rights of minorities.
- Notified minority communities – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Jains.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes.
2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property.
3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters rélated to the property held by both male and female members of a family.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 3 only
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect. Castes are not specified in these laws.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Both laws deal with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family.
