An Indian woman, whose marriage was declared invalid by Canadian authorities on the ground that she had not taken seven ceremonial steps around the hearth in accordance with Hindu rites, has got the green signal to join her husband after a two year wait.
Ram Maharaj, an immigrant from Trinidad, had met his wife Sudha Arora through an Internet Dating Service and, after a year of phone calls, he flew to New Delhi and married before a Hindu priest.
They chose not to take the seven steps around a sacred fire, necessitated under the Indian law, since couples marrying for a second time are not required to perform the 'Saptapadi.'
However, when Arora applied to join her husband in Canada, an immigration officer with the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said their marriage was not solemnised in accordance with customary rites and declared it invalid.
The decision was this week overturned by a member of the Immigration Appeal Board which said it was clear their wedding in August, 2003 was valid.
He noted the religious rite of walking seven steps around a ceremonial fire is not always required, Canadian daily Globe and Mail reported.
"I am happy but I am also bitter. This was absolute nonsense in the first place and I have lost two years of my life and spent a fortune fighting the case. My wife has lost face in her community. She married, but then she was not able to join me," Maharaj said.
"There is definitely confusion with respect to what the ceremonies and laws are with respect to Hindu marriages," said Peter Rekai, Maharaj's lawyer.