JUDGMENT :

DINESH KUMAR SINGH, J.

(i) Significance of Marriage as Social Institution:

1. Marriage is an institution that admits man and woman to family life. It is a stable relationship in which a man and a woman are socially permitted to live together without losing their status in the community. Marriage is not merely concerned with the couple; rather it affects the whole society and future generations. The responsibilities it entrusts a couple with are thus both heavy and delicate. In Hindu view, marriage is not a concession to human weakness, but a means for spiritual growth. Man and woman are soul mates who, through the institution of marriage, can direct the energy associated with their individual instincts and passion into the progress of their souls. The institution of marriage is the central draft of all the forms of human society which are a part of civilization. Marriage is the deepest as well as the most complex of all human relations because it is a difficult task for two people to lead their life together when they have their independent thinking and way of living. In Indian life, role expectations are highly specific and institutional in marriage, thus a woman's role in