The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu State Bar Council to take disciplinary action against lawyers who conduct secret marriages in their offices or trade union offices and issue marriage certificates, following a habeas corpus petition filed by one Ilavarasan. The court cited a 2014 Supreme Court decision that deemed such marriages and certificates invalid, and reaffirmed that all marriages must be registered under the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriages Act, 2009, with both parties physically appearing before the Registrar. The High Court directed the Bar Council to initiate action against the lawyers in the present case and against all lawyers conducting such marriages across the state, within three months of receiving a copy of the order.
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TAGS: Madras High Court Tamil Nadu State Bar Council disciplinary action lawyers secret marriages marriage certificates Supreme Court invalid Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriages Act 2009 self-respect marriages habeas corpus petition Ilavarasan physical appearance Registrar S Balakrishnan Pandiyan Upper caste priests elaborate rituals consent Law Enforcing Agency Trade Union notices Additional Public Prosecutor R Vijayakumar M Dhandapani.
