Sikhism — Key Changes

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
Act 29 of 2012	2012	The Anand Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2012 added the name Anand Karaj to the principal Act’s description of the Sikh marriage ceremony and inserted section 6 on registration. The new provision requires State Government rules through which particulars of such marriages may be entered in a Marriage Register. It covers ceremonies solemnised before or after the amendment’s commencement, subject to the applicable rules. The register and certified extracts provide evidence of the recorded statements.	The central distinction is between proof and validity. Section 6(3) says omission of a register entry does not affect the validity of an Anand marriage; section 6(5) removes the need for registration under another law once the marriage is registered under this Act. The change supplies a legal recording mechanism for an established Sikh ceremony, not a new account of Sikh doctrine or the origin of the ceremony. State rules govern the registration process, so the amendment should not be presented as one identical application procedure across India.