Erumeli: A nurse who works in Malta got her marriage registered in Kerala through videoconferencing. The Erumeli panchayat office registered the marriage after the couple secured an order from the Kerala High Court.
Jyotsna had to go to Malta to accept a job offer soon after her wedding in February. Her husband, Lijin, could not follow her because the marriage was not registered in the local self-government body. Authorities at the panchayat office refused to register the marriage unless both the man and wife went to the office in person.
Lijin, a resident of Mukkoottuthara, sought permission from the government but to no avail. He then filed a case before the high court, which asked the panchayat to register the marriage using the available means.
Meanwhile, Jyotsna went to the Indian embassy in Malta to grant her father the power of attorney to sign on the register on her behalf. Lijin and his father-in-law went to the panchayat office, where panchayat secretary P H Noushad contacted Jyotsna through videocall. He registered the marriage after Jyotsna officially identified her husband and father.
