Marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage

What this section does

Punishes any person who dishonestly or with fraudulent intent goes through a marriage ceremony knowing that the ceremony does not result in a lawful marriage. The offence targets sham or fraudulent marriage ceremonies regardless of the gender of the accused.

AI-generated plain-language summary. For the binding statutory text, see India Code (official).

Quick reference

Punishment

Imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 7 years, and fine.

Triable by

Magistrate of First Class

Cognizable

No

Bailable

Yes

Compoundable

No

Ingredients (what prosecution must prove)

1. The accused went through a ceremony of being married
2. The accused knew at the time that the ceremony did not constitute a lawful marriage
3. The accused acted dishonestly or with a fraudulent intention

Derived from IPC s.496.