Gullipilli Sowria Raj v. Bandaru Pavani is an Indian Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit involving the legality of the marriage to a Hindu woman of a Christian man, Raj, who had falsely represented himself as Hindu.
Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (HMA) makes it clear that marriage may be solemnised between any two people if the conditions (such as age eligibility) contained in the said section were fulfilled.
Allegedly, Raj had misinformed everyone about his social status and religion and Pavani filed a case upon learning the truth.
The High Court upheld her plea and said the marriage was void as the HMA postulated only between Hindus; following this, Raj, filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the apex court.
Dismissing the man's appeal, the apex court upheld the High Court’s view that the marriage was not valid under the HMA, specifically pointing to the fact that Section 5 of the HMA makes it clear that the marital union may be solemnized between any two Hindus only if the conditions in the said Section were fulfilled.