"Court marriage" almost always means a marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the secular statute that lets any two people marry regardless of religion. It is also the route for inter-faith couples who do not wish to convert.
Documents both parties need
- Proof of date of birth for each party: birth certificate, school leaving certificate, or passport
- Proof of residence: Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, utility bill or rent agreement. At least one party must have resided in the district for at least 30 days before the notice
- Passport-size photographs, usually four to six each
- Affidavit of date of birth, marital status, and that the parties are not within the prohibited degrees of relationship
- Proof of dissolution if previously married: the decree of divorce, or the death certificate of the former spouse
- Three witnesses on the day of solemnisation, each with photo ID and proof of address
The 30 day notice
You file a Notice of Intended Marriage with the Marriage Officer of the district. It is published and remains open for 30 days for objections. If no valid objection is received, the marriage can be solemnised, and a certificate issued. Frivolous objections can be rejected; genuine ones (an existing marriage, for instance) will stop it.
The public notice requirement has been challenged and criticised precisely because it exposes couples, particularly inter-faith and inter-caste couples, to interference. Some High Courts have read down the mandatory publication or held that displaying personal details is not compulsory. If safety is a live concern, raise it with your lawyer before filing, because the approach differs by state and by court.
Marriage under personal law, registered afterwards
If you have already married by religious ceremony, you are not doing a court marriage. You are registering it, under the Hindu Marriage Act or the applicable state rules, which needs the ceremony proof and photographs but no 30 day notice. The two processes are frequently confused.