NEW DELHI:
Delhi High Court
has allowed an
Indian couple
living in the US to appear through
video conferencing
to get their
marriage registered
.
Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the couple to appear before the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, California, and join the video conference from the premises, while taking into account the submission by authorities that in view of the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, the possibility of someone impersonating the couple cannot be ruled out if they are permitted to appear from outside.
“The Consulate General of India, San Francisco, California, is requested to permit the petitioners to join through video conferencing for the purpose of registration of their marriage,” the high court said.
The high court was dealing with a plea in which the couple informed the court that they had left for the US to pursue their careers. The couple claimed to have gotten married on May 10, 2022, according to Hindu rites and customs at a hotel in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
It was submitted that the woman, who was living in the US on an H1B (employment) visa, lost her job in Jan this year during a mass layoff at the company she was employed with. The plea said that to continue to reside in the US, the woman had to obtain a dependent visa, for which a marriage registration certificate is required.
The petitioners relied on an earlier order passed by the high court in which a couple was allowed to appear virtually before the authority concerned for registration of their marriage and sought similar relief.
The high court said, “This court is inclined to allow the present writ petition and permit the petitioners to appear before the registering authority through video conferencing for the purpose of registration of their marriage.”tnn
English (US) ·