Overview
- The order directs registrars to notify the first wife before processing a second-marriage application under the 2008 Rules.
- If the first wife objects alleging invalidity, the registrar must withhold registration and refer the parties to a competent civil court.
- The bench stressed that constitutional equality protections under Articles 14 and 15 prevail during civil registration, stating that religion is secondary.
- The court dismissed the writ by a Kannur man and his second wife after a local registrar refused registration, noting the first wife was not a party to the case.
- Registrars must verify prior marital status under Rule 11 and cannot decide validity, and the judgment frames notice as safeguarding maintenance and property rights for spouses and children.