- Bribe Fighter
- 13 years ago
- 1690 views
Rude Marriage Officer & Corrupt Lower Level Clerks
I was married at the Bandra Registrar's Office recently under the Special Marriage Act. Since we needed the marriage certificate urgently for visa work we made some queries about the possibility of getting the certificate on the same day. The lower level clerks who were doing our paperwork said it usually took 1-2 weeks and if we really wanted it immediately we'd have to pay. Even other citizens who were there to collect their certificates said they were refused their certificates on the same day of marriage & had been asked to come back a week or two later. One individual told us we'd have to pay at least Rs.2000 to get the certificate on the same day.
This is really surprising since after the marriage is solemnized it takes two minutes for the Marriage Officer to stamp and sign the final marriage certificate. People cannot be expected to take multiple days off from work to do these repetitive bureaucratic procedures - this is why our country is so inefficient & this extortionist culture of 'agents' exists.
On our marriage day, the solemnization process happened 2 hours after the appointed time since the Marriage Officer waltzed in late. During the solemnization she was rude and curt and told us to 'wait outside' till all the marriages were done. After waiting for another hour she finally told the clerk to issue the certificate.
They however refused to issue us verified copies of the certificate and said to come back in 15 days and make a written application. I figure notarized copies should have the same value as verified copies from the Marriage Registrar. What a horrible place & horrible service - completely takes the joy out of the special day of matrimony.
I also wish citizens would not automatically assume a bribe is necessary in such cases. The stories I was hearing from other people waiting at the office were disheartening, but if more people refuse to pay bribes and are a little more assertive hopefully government 'servants' will start acting like they are actually meant to serve instead of harass and extort.