A recent case from Ahmedabad’s Gheekanta Court has raised serious questions after a Muslim youth and a Hindu girl reportedly arrived at the marriage registration office dressed as lawyers so that no one could recognise them. The incident has now taken a more troubling turn after details emerged suggesting that the registrar himself may have been involved in facilitating the marriage. Registrar MM Syed had allowed the couple to enter the marriage registration office through a back door nearly two hours before the office was scheduled to open.
OpIndia Gujarati’s investigation into the matter has revealed further details suggesting that registrar Syed was helping Muslim youths not only from Ahmedabad but also from other districts and states to register marriages with Hindu girls at the same court office. The matter first came to light on 4 March and since then several details have continued to emerge.
Mother says daughter was taken away months earlier
In this case, the Hindu girl’s mother said that the accused Salman is a resident of Pethapur and that he had taken her daughter away several months earlier. According to her, when Salman came to the court in 2026 to register the marriage, it came to light that the Hindu girl was pregnant.
She further said that Salman was pressuring her daughter to perform nikah with him. The incident created tension inside the court premises and members of the legal fraternity began examining the matter more closely.
Data suggests several such marriages were registered
To understand the matter further, OpIndia visited the Gheekanta Court and examined available records. During the examination of data from the last four months, details emerged indicating that registrar Syed was extensively involved in facilitating marriages between Muslim men and Hindu girls.
Records from December 2025 to January 2026 showed that in just this two month period, 11 marriages were registered where the groom was Muslim and the bride Hindu.
The matter did not stop there. Some of these cases involved individuals coming from outside Gujarat. According to the data available, some Muslim youths had come from Uttar Pradesh while others had travelled from Mumbai to register marriages with Hindu girls at this same registration office.
After the recent incident came to light, lawyers submitted a complaint demanding that registrar Syed be made a co accused in the case and dismissed from his post. OpIndia spoke to one of the lawyers who was part of the complaint.
Lawyer recounts what happened inside the registrar’s office
Sudha Christian, a lawyer and notary working at the Gheekanta Court, spoke to OpIndia about what happened on the day of the incident.
She said that on the day of the incident the girl’s family members had arrived outside the court around 10 am and were asking to go inside the registrar’s office. They were told that the office would open at 11 am. However, the family insisted that their daughter was already inside the office.
Christian said she had some work inside the office and therefore went inside. When she entered, she saw a Hindu girl and a Muslim youth standing inside the registrar’s office dressed in lawyers’ clothes. Another woman lawyer named Manisha and a police constable were also present there.
Christian said she questioned why the Hindu girl had been allowed entry in a lawyer’s coat and why the registrar was not objecting. At that moment, the police constable closed the office door and said that the door would not be opened until the marriage was completed because opening it could create a commotion outside.
Plan was to disguise the couple as lawyers
Christian said she immediately informed her friend, lawyer Meena. Following this, advocate Meena Barot arrived and informed others that a girl had entered the registrar’s office disguised as a lawyer.
Christian said the plan had been devised by registrar M. M. Syed and advocate Mittal Jadeja. According to her, they planned that if the couple entered in the guise of lawyers no one would question them and the marriage would take place quietly. She further said that advocate Mittal Jadeja had withdrawn the marriage vakalatnama.
She said this amounted to fraud because only licensed advocates are permitted to wear the lawyer’s coat inside court premises. Christian also said that despite the girl’s parents being present outside, registrar Syed did not allow the girl to meet them. She said that once she took photographs and circulated them, people gathered there and the matter came to light.
‘Fraud committed while wearing a lawyer’s coat’
Another lawyer and notary, Ragini Dave, also spoke about the complaint filed by advocates. Dave said that on the day of the incident the girl’s parents, several lawyers and members of Hindu organisations were present in the court premises. According to her, the issue was not merely about a marriage but about fraud committed by wearing the black coat associated with the legal profession.
She said that police personnel from Karanj, Madhupura and Shahpur police stations were present there and a large number of advocates protested. Dave said that the police inspectors and the DySP of the concerned police stations were present and demands were placed before them for action.
She said that during the confrontation the couple started claiming that the coat worn by the girl was not a lawyer’s coat but that of a waiter. Dave pointed out that there is a clear difference between the coat worn by a waiter and that worn by a lawyer.
The lawyer community submitted an application demanding action against the accused and registration of an FIR. The complaint was submitted at Karanj police station. Dave further said that normally on the day of marriage girls wear traditional attire such as choli and sari and that people do not get married wearing black coats and uniforms. According to her, the arrangement indicated an attempt to mislead people.
She said that advocate Mittal Jadeja had brought the couple to the registrar’s office and that the entire plan was designed to mislead those present.
Couple was taken inside the ‘green corridor’
Dave further explained that normally when couples arrive for marriage registration they are made to stand outside registrar Syed’s glass cabin. In this case, however, the couple had been seated inside the cabin.
She said they were taken inside what is referred to as the “green corridor”. No lawyers were allowed to enter that area, and the girl was also not allowed to meet her family members waiting outside.
Sudha Christian said that the application submitted by lawyers mentioned Section 319(2) of the BNS, under which disciplinary action can be taken by the Bar Council and complaints of cheating can be registered.
She said that appearing inside court premises as a bogus lawyer should attract punishment. Christian also questioned how the registrar allowed unknown individuals to enter the office where even lawyers are normally not permitted and where important documents are stored.
Questions over challan payment timing
Christian also raised questions regarding the payment of the challan in the case. She said that challans are not normally accepted after 4 pm, yet in this case the payment was made around 6 pm. She said this also raises questions about the manner in which the process was carried out.
She further said that another person named Wasim was also connected to the matter. Wasim had earlier worked at the office but had been transferred. According to Christian, he still functioned as an administrator for Syed.
Christian said that Syed and Mittal Jadeja together planned the entire arrangement and that both should be removed from their positions. She added that it is possible that similar arrangements may have been carried out elsewhere by registrars and lawyers who guide such cases.
She also said that the girl’s parents had been visiting the office for about a month and had requested the registrar to inform them if their daughter appeared there. According to her, Syed had told them that he would inform them.
However, when the girl eventually came to the office, she was kept inside the green corridor and was not allowed to meet her parents.
Registrar stopped cases involving Muslim girls and Hindu boys
During the investigation, OpIndia also received information suggesting that when cases involved a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy, registrar Syed would not allow the marriage to take place.
According to advocates, he would somehow inform the Muslim girl’s parents or relatives and in many instances the marriage would be stopped. OpIndia spoke to advocate Abhi Rajput, who said he had witnessed one such case.
Rajput said that two months earlier a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl had approached him and both wanted to marry each other of their own free will. However, as the end of the mandatory 30 day notice period approached and the wedding date drew closer, the Muslim girl’s parents were incited not to allow the marriage.
Rajput said that when the couple reached the registrar’s office on the day of the marriage, the girl’s parents suddenly arrived and took her away. He said the boy was not financially strong and therefore did not pursue further legal action.
Rajput said that when a person holds a registrar level post, which is a Class 2 government position, people expect fairness and justice. In such circumstances, he said, cases should not be handled in a one sided manner on the basis of religion.
Advocates demand action against registrar
Rajput further said that when such actions take place, fundamental rights are also affected. He said that registrars who behave in such a manner should be removed from service and legal action should be initiated against them.
Rajput also said that after his experience he posted a video about the matter on social media. Following this, several advocates commented that when the girl is Muslim and the boy Hindu, the registrar obstructs the process.
He said that in such cases Syed creates problems during documentation and harasses applicants over documents. Rajput said that he had also received information suggesting that many cases involving Muslim boys and Hindu girls from different places had been registered at this same office.
Questions raised about loopholes in the marriage registration process
The developments surrounding this case have raised larger questions about the functioning of the marriage registration system. Advocates said that if government officials begin showing bias on the basis of religion and if the uniform of lawyers, who are expected to protect the legal system, is misused to deceive others, it undermines the credibility of the legal framework itself.
Lawyers also said that the incident highlights how loopholes in the current marriage registration process may be exploited by officials and intermediaries.
Against this backdrop, the proposed reforms and new marriage registration laws being considered by the Gujarat government are being seen by some as necessary steps. Measures such as greater transparency in the registration process, mandatory presence or notification of parents or guardians and restrictions on the discretionary powers of registrars may be required to prevent such networks from operating.
Advocates said that unless strict legal safeguards are implemented, the court premises, which are considered a place of justice, could continue to be misused for such activities.
This report was originally published in OpIndia Gujarati which can be checked here.
