The Gujarat High Court rules that registration alone is not sufficient to validate a Hindu marriage if the required rituals and ceremonies are not performed. In its order, the court emphasizes that, for a Hindu marriage to obtain spiritual, social and legal standing, essential ceremonies must be carried out. The court refers to religious rites such as saptapadi, describing them as conferring the marriage with the character of a sacrament and samskara. It also notes that customary and traditional rituals may vary across regions and cultures, but they generally serve a transformative and purifying purpose within the marital process. The court’s reasoning ties the legal recognition of a Hindu marriage to the performance of key ceremonies rather than to documentation or registration procedures alone. The ruling clarifies that statutory or administrative steps cannot substitute for the religious ceremonies that are considered fundamental to the marriage under Hindu customary practice. The court therefore treats the absence of essential rituals as a factor that prevents the marriage from being treated as valid, even if it has been registered.