Banjara Marriages with Hindu Rituals Fall Under Hindu Marriage Act: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court ruled that marriages within the Banjara community, a Scheduled Tribe, solemnised through Hindu rituals, were governed by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

The Bench, comprising Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, rejected the husband’s argument that a divorce petition under the Act was not maintainable.

The Court observed that the community had substantially assimilated Hindu customs and practices.

The Court noted that ceremonies such as saptapadi, invocation of the sacred fire, and the wearing of mangalsutra and bichiya aligned with Hindu matrimonial traditions.