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According to bill introduced in Upper House, Non Resident Indians who marry an Indian citizen or fellow NRI have to register their marriage within 30 days, If they fail to register their passport may be impounded or revoked.

The bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha against the backdrop of cases of Indian women being trapped in the Fraudulent Marriages with NRIs.

The following bill was introduced by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill ‘Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019’ it also allows the courts to attach properties, movable and immovable, of "proclaimed offenders" or people who fails to appear before courts despite warrants being issued against them.

It states that, this law will be applicable to NRIs marrying Indian women within or even outside India.

As per the bill, “There will be amendment in ‘The Passport Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure’ so that it allows passport authorities to revoke or impound passport or other documents of the accused, to allow courts to attach their properties”

According to Ministry of External Affairs press statement, “According to the provisions of the Bill, the compulsory registration of marriage within thirty days of marriage in India or abroad would provide better enforcement of rights of the deserted spouse under various family laws. Similarly, the Amendment to the Passport Act would empower the Passport Authority to impound or revoke the passport of NRI, if it is brought to his notice that the NRI has not registered his marriage within 30 days from the date of marriage. The Amendments to CrPC, 1973 would empower the Courts for issuance of summons, warrants through the specially designated website of the Ministry of External Affairs. It also provides provisions for attachment of properties belonging to the NRI, if he does not appear before the Court and is declared as Proclaimed Offender by the Court.”

“The Bill was introduced by the Ministry of External Affairs due to large number complaints received from Indian citizens mostly women deserted or harassed by their NRI Spouses.”

“It proposes to offer greater protection to Indian women married to NRIs and serve as a deterrent to NRIs against harassment of their spouses. This would provide much needed relief to all Indian women married to NRIs worldwide,” according to press release.

The bill is unlikely to be passed because the Budget session ends on Wednesday and is the last session before General elections,

As it is introduced in Rajya Sabha and is likely to remain pending there, it would not lapse on the dissolution of the present Lok Sabha on June 3.

-Sai Kumar