When a government demands parental permission for consenting adults to marry, it breaches several red lines. The proposal by the Gujarat government to mandate parental consent for the registration of marriages stands to institutionalise all these unacceptable intrusions. Dressed up as a shield against “love jihad”, the Bhupendra Patel government’s amendments to the Gujarat Registration of Marriages Act, 2006, also threaten to deepen communal fault lines. While the Gujarat government’s bid to constrict individual freedom and legitimise the politically contrived spectre of “love jihad” is outrageous, it is unfortunately not an aberration. In Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, laws purportedly targeting “forced conversions” have worked as dragnets around interfaith unions.

Source: Indian Express February 23, 2026 07:47 UTC