PRAYAGRAJ, May 22 -- The Allahabad high court has directed officials concerned to ensure Aadhaar-based authentication of the bride and the groom, specially run-away couples, for marriage registration in Uttar Pradesh. Also, there should be biometric data and photos of the couple and two witnesses, and strict age verification through official portals, the high court said. The court further directed the state government to amend the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017, within six months so that a robust and verifiable marriage registration mechanism comes into existence, ensuring the validity and sanctity of marriages. Justice Vinod Diwakar passed this direction months after raising concerns regarding the emergence of an organised racket of touts who are involved in getting fake marriages registered through forged documents. The court observed, "All Deputy Registrars entrusted with the task of marriage registration shall strictly adhere to the instructions issued under the notification dated 14.10.2024, in both letter and spirit." In the October 2024 notification, instructions were issued to the officials to ensure that marriage registration in U.P. would require Aadhaar-based authentication of bride and groom, biometric data and photos of both parties and two witnesses, and strict age verification through official portals like DigiLocker, CBSE, UP Board, CRS, Passport, PAN, Driving Licence, and CISCE. Also, the priest, who solemnized the marriage, must be physically present at the registrar's office during registration. Furthermore, the court clarified that the interim directions would specifically apply to the registration of marriages involving runaway couples -- those who have entered into a matrimonial alliance without the consent of their respective family members. The court added, if any of the family members of the parties to the marriage are present at the time of registration, the marriage officer may, at his discretion, waive the aforesaid conditions, either wholly or in part, after being satisfied as to the genuineness of the marriage. In its 44-page order, the bench, dealing with 125 petitions filed by runaway couples seeking protection, observed that it has witnessed in many cases that the marriage certificates are issued by societies which do not exist, and such fake certificates are issued to obtain a protection order from the high court....