Thread by @AnushreeJairath

[Thread]: @sukritnagpal & I recently got married under the #specialmarriageact. We wanted a civil partnership with no religious ceremonies but found the process difficult because there is a dearth of information. This thread attempts to demystify this & help overcome hurdles(1/n)

This process (of the court getting you married) is called 'soleminisation', & is used for couples following different religions, or desiring a civil form of marriage, etc. This is different from registering your marriage (which is optionally done after religious ceremonies) (2/n)

Soleminisation requires atleast 2 visits to the court over 35-40 days. Our experience is based on Delhi’s process and it may differ from state to state. However, we hope this acts like a guide. In Delhi, the application process is entirely online at edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in (3/n)

You apply to the SDM office depending on either of your addresses. After creating an account on the portal with your aadhar or voter id card, apply for ‘soleminisation of marriage’. Fill out the form including scanned copies of your id card. This needs to be done for both (4/n)

Issue we faced: instructions are vague & the portal isn't user friendly. The portal expects every document to be under 100kb (!!). So compress, compress, compress to the point of illegibility. Sometimes, documents uploaded cannot be deleted so don’t dare make mistakes! (5/n)

Document uploading has absurd restrictions. Eg: the portal expects driving licenses to have 15 digits. This is not the case for states like UP so these documents cannot be uploaded. We ended up buttering the official to make an exception! To be safe, upload varied documents (6/n)

The #specialmarriageact requires 3 witnesses (including their documents). The portal then plays a cruel joke by allowing you to pick a day & time for your first appointment. You will feel that the system has improved but NO. Just turn up & wait. Don’t forget to carry a book!(7/n)

It’s the day of your 1st visit. Take your+your witnesses’ documents (originals+copies). Anxious moments will be spent fluttering from room-to-room in hope that they don't find any loopholes. Quizzical looks will be given as officials forget the existence of solemnization (8/n)

Plugging in @nehadixit123's piece which details out her experience of going through the process of a civil marriage. The article is comical albeit informative. We could relate to her at so many levels! Doing a non-traditional marriage ain't easy. (9/n) in.news.yahoo.com/my-runaway-wed…

Another piece by @ShoaibDaniyal allows us to acknowledge our privileged position in this process. The Indian state can be a 'super khap panchayat' which uses the #specialmarriageact as a surveillance tool for couples belonging to different religions scroll.in/article/676910…

Before we talk about the 2nd visit, some notes on documents. An imp. reqd. for the 1st appointment is the affidavit. We couldn't find a template for this easily so here's ours. Make sure that this is attested when you upload. Another couple was sent back making us shudder! (11/n)

On documentation, remember that your upload must feature both front & back side of your ID cards. In one of our cards, we did not do this & couldn't later amend because you can't delete. Remember, no mistakes! @sukritnagpal spent a good half hour pleading with the officer (12/n)

At the end of your 1st appointment, you can choose a date for the actual solemnisation (shaadi!). Rules dictate that this must be between 30 & 90 days. Within the next few days, notices go out to the addresses you've provided earlier. While mine reached, Sukrit's didn't. (13/n)

Funny since I used to live in UP & he lived a km away from the SDM's office. Notices are also put up at the SDM's office. Debatable? We're plugging this article by @shiba_kurian on the use of notices by right wing to harass inter-religious couples. (14/n)
thewire.in/communalism/hi…

Our original date fell within the lock down period but we were able to get this postponed. That was sweet & is worth mentioning. However, such options should exist on online portals as well. This would prevent crowding too.

On your allotted day, prepare to wait again.
(15/n)

Arrive with your witnesses & make sure you take your IDs (in original) + self attested copies as well as those of your witnesses. These are meticulously checked (again and again!). You and your witnesses will sign, photos will be taken with a 0.8 mp camera, and that's it. (16/n)

You're now married! At the SDM's office, no one even congratulates you :)

This process costed us Rs. 845. While you can pay online, we recommend that you do so at the office. In Delhi, you get your certificate online within 21 days. We got ours in 3 days! (17/n)

Thanks for staying with us till the end & for your wishes. Even though the decision to do a non-traditional marriage was not the easiest path to take, we're glad we persisted. You can reach out to us for any other queries! :) (18/18)