Kochi, Aug 7: Expanding the scope of use of technology to face challenges posed by COVID-19, the Kerala High Court has allowed a man, working abroad, to appear via video conferencing to enable registration of his marriage as he could not come in person due to travel restrictions on account of the pandemic.
The court's order came on the plea of his 28-year-old bride who said that her husband left for Canada, where he is working, right after their marriage in July 2019 under the Special Marriage Act of 1954.
As a result, the couple could not appear before the Registrar of Marriages of their panchayath for registering their nuptials under the Registration of the Marriages Common Rules Kerala, 2008, the woman had said in her petition.
In view of COVID pandemic and the restrictions in traveling it was not presently possible for the husband of the petitioner to come back to India for the purpose of registration of marriage, the plea said.
It urged the court to direct the Registrar of Marriages to allow her husband to appear via video conferencing for registering their marriage and to issue a certificate evidencing the same.
Taking note of the circumstances, the high court allowed the groom to appear via video conferencing for registration of the marriage and directed the Registrar of Marriages to register the same and issue a certificate to the couple.
"The certificate as above shall be issued within 10 days from today. The petitioner shall produce a copy of the judgment before the respondent (Registrar) for compliance and the respondent shall initiate necessary steps," the court said.
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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
