Their info leaked online, Dehradun interfaith couple say marriage application on hold amid threats and pressure

Indian Express

3 days ago

After being in a relationship for over a decade, a couple from Dehradun decided to get married under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
However, on Saturday, their application was put on hold after two witnesses pulled out, citing threats from right-wing groups and objections from the woman's father, who was threatened with a boycott by his community.
According to the couple, their wedding plans unravelled because the man is a Muslim and the woman a Hindu. The details of the couple — both 28 years old — along with their photographs, were uploaded online by a Facebook user, leading to a flurry of threats, abuses, and visits to the family of the woman.
The woman, who works at a clinic, said her relatives and others turned up at their door on Saturday, disparaging the family for 'letting her marry' the Muslim man.
'My parents are neither happy nor upset about my decision. They respect my choice. However, after the entire system came against us, my father was forced to raise objections with the SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate). The page that has gone viral on social media is not the notice put up on the board of the office of the SDM, but from our file with the officer,' she said.
She alleges that some lawyers who work with the man she is set to marry, as well as some government officials, 'are facilitating this hounding and delaying our second motion'. The SDM has denied allegations that the documents were leaked from his office.
The man who sought to marry her works as an advocate in Dehradun, but has not gone to work since their details went up online. Threats, allegedly from the Hindu Raksha Dal, Bajrang Dal, and other outfits, have been pouring in ever since, he claimed.
'We have known each other since class 6 and attended the same college. We are exercising our fundamental rights and getting married under the Special Marriage Act. How can their law prevail over the Constitution?' he said.
The woman said she fears her job is on the line after her employer came across the social media posts. 'Though I have not been terminated, the doctor called to tell me to stay put until things blow over. I'm not sure if they will lay me off if this persists,' she said.
The couple had sought protection from the High Court on Friday. The division bench of Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Alok Mahra had directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to comply with the Supreme Court verdict in the Lata Singh vs State of UP and Another (2006) case.
The apex court had directed the administration and police across the country to ensure that when any man or woman, who is a major, undergoes inter-caste or inter-religious marriage with a woman or man who is also a major, the couple is not harassed by anyone nor subjected to threats or acts of violence.
They were also directed to ensure that anyone who gives such threats or harasses or commits acts of violence, either himself or at his instigation, is taken to task by instituting criminal proceedings by the police against such persons, and further stern action is taken against such persons as provided by law.
The woman claimed that police did not lodge an FIR on her complaint and told her they can only protect her in case of a 'real threat'. The couple's lawyer said that she has been ostracised for helping them get married.
Meanwhile, SDM, Sadar, Har Giri, said that he was looking into the objections raised by the woman's family. Asked about the delay, he said, 'We have to look into the cause for the withdrawal by the witnesses. My responsibility is to enquire about the matter; threats to the couple do not figure in my responsibilities.' He denied allegations that the documents with details of the couple were leaked from his office.
Earlier this year, another couple from Udham Singh Nagar faced a similar ordeal after their details were made public by right-wing outfits despite a High Court order directing protection from threats.