India 2018

Law and Justice 401
Sikh marriage ceremony called ''Anand'' or other customary ceremonies could
be registered here under the provisions of Section 8 of the Hindu Marriage
Act, 1955.
However, vide The Anand Marriage (Amendment), Act, 2012, The Anand
Marriage Act, 1909 was amended to provide for registration of Anand marriages
commonly known as Anand Karaj.
Election Laws and Electoral Reforms
The Acts in connection with the conduct of elections to Parliament, state
legislatures and to the offices of the President and the Vice-President are :
(i) The Representation of the People Act, 1950; (ii) The Representation of the
People Act, 1951; (iii) The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952;
(iv) The Delimitation Act, 2002; (v) The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council
Act, 2005; and (vi) The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council Act, 2010. These are
administrated by the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice.
The electoral system of the country, which is also called the first-past-thepost
system of elections, has completed sixty six years.
The continuously changing electoral scenario has necessitated reforms of
electoral laws on several occasions. In the light of the experience gained during
elections, recommendations of the Election Commission, the proposals from
different sources including political parties, eminent men in public life and the
deliberations in the Legislatures and various public bodies, the successive
Governments have taken a number of measures, from time to time, to bring
about electoral reforms; though need to effect a comprehensive package of
electoral reforms cannot be gainsaid. At present the issue of electoral reforms
in its entirety has been referred to the Law Commission of India for its
examination and Report. On receipt of the Report of the Law Commission, the
matter will be examined in consultation with the stakeholders.
Delimitation of Constituencies
The periodic readjustment of the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies is
mandatory in a representative system where single-member constituencies are
used for electing political representatives. The electoral boundaries are drawn
on the basis of the last published census figures and are relatively equal in
population. Equally populous constituencies allow voters to have an equally
weighted vote in the Legislature. Electoral constituencies that vary greatly in
population—a condition called ''malapportionment''—violate a central tenet of
democracy, namely, that all voters should be able to cast a vote of equal weight.
Delimitation and Elections are the two basic pillars of a parliamentary
democracy.
The first Delimitation Commission in India was constituted in 1952, the
second in 1962 and the third in the year 1973. The third delimitation exercise—
based on 1971 census—was completed in the year 1975. The present delimitation,