Now a separate marriage law for Jains

The Jain community has asked the Union government for promulgating a separate marriage law for the microminuscule Jains. Until now the Jain marriages were covered under the ambit of Hindu marriage act.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged to take a decision in this regard at the earliest. The president of Digambar Jain Mahsabha, Nirmal Sethi, has said that Jain marriage is not a social custom but a religious rite and it should be brought out of the Hindu marriage act.

Jainism is a separate religion that has a history of thousands of years and it is treated as a seprate religion in many states of the country, said Sethi, who demanded that the Jains should be exluded from the Hindu law.

The Bharatvarshiya Jain Mahasabha has put up some other demands also. A seven point letter has been sent to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to take steps in this regard.

TIH Bureau