A few days after a trial court asked the authorities to probe illegal marriages being conducted at Arya Samaj temples situated in Yamuna Bazar,the Delhi High Court on Monday expressed its concern over the growing number of minors eloping with lovers to get married in temples. Following this,the court ordered a comprehensive police probe against officebearers of the temples. It is a matter of grave concern to the court that,in recent times,a large number of marriages involved the participation of minors who had eloped from their homes. Most of these marriages were conducted at Arya Samaj temples situated in Yamuna Bazar, said Justice Hima Kohli,directing the police to go through the bank accounts and other records maintained by temple authorities over the last three years and submit a report before December 14. The court passed the order after a case pertaining to a 12-year-old Muslim girl,who had eloped from her house to get married,was brought to its notice. The temple authorities had allegedly arranged for the girl to be converted to Hinduism,so she could marry her boyfriend. ASJ Kamini Lau,in a separate case,had directed the police to conduct a probe into allegations that an Arya Samaj temple was getting marriage solemnised without following the due procedure. The judge had termed the phenomenon as socially objectionable and legally impermissible. It is a matter of very serious concern. It has been observed that many such marriages are being performed in cases of runaway couples or where one of the party is a minor,or in cases where marriage is otherwise prohibited under the customary and statutory law, she had said.
