Clause 1. While the Church is autonomous and has its own marriage laws, yet it is recognized that these must be carried out with due regard to the laws of the State so that Christian marriages solemnized under the laws of the Church may also be recognized by the State.

Clause 2. The Church of North India declares its belief that our Lord's principle and standard of marriage is a life-long and indis­soluble union for better or for worse of one man with one man with one woman to the exclusion of all others on either side.

Clause 3. Every Bishop of the Church and every Presbyter of the Church holding the authorization of the Bishop shall, ex-officio, have authority to solemnize marriages in the Church. Deacons may also be licensed by the Bishop of a Diocese to solemnize marriages.

Clause 4. The Synod shall have power to make general rules with regard to the solemnization of marriage.

Clause 5. The laws in operation in the uniting Churches at the time of union with regard to prohibited degrees of consanguinity and affinity shall remain valid until otherwise decided by the Synod. But no minister of the Church who has conscientious objections to solemnizing a marriage on grounds of such degrees shall be com­pelled to do so.

Clause 6. The Bishop of the Diocese shall have power to sus­pend or modify in special case, if there seems good cause, the strict letter of the law with regard to marriages prohibited on the ground of consanguinity or affinity.

Clause 7. The Bishop of the Diocese and the Diocesan Commit­tee appointed for this purpose shall make decisions in the light of such general directions as may from time to time be issued by the Synod of the Church, which shall appoint a Standing Committee to deal with questions relating to the marriage law of the Church and the administration of the law.

Clause 8. (a) It is the rule of the Church that no minister of the Church of North India may solemnize the marriage with any other person of either of two persons who have been married together as Christians or having been married together as non-Christians have been received into the Church as husband and wife, so long as thc{other partner to the marriage is living, and any member of the Church who contracts such a marriage shall be 'liable to the discipline of the Church.

Clause 8. (b) Notwithstanding what is stated in 8 (a) the Chris­tian Church has always recognized that there are circumstances in which the ideals of Christian marriage cannot be attained at once, and that there are special cases in which the law of the Church should not be applied with rigidity lest greater evils follow. In such cases, therefore, the Bishop of the Diocese, in consultation with the Diocesan Committee appointed for the purpose, acting in accor­dance with such general directions as may have been laid down by the Synod of the Church and after due investigation of all the circumstances of the individual case, shall have power to modify the strict letter of the law of the Church in sanctioning the solem­nization of marriage, or to relax the discipline of the Church on those who contract such marriages.

Clause 8. (c) But no minister of the Church is permitted to sol­emnize a marriage which is forbidden by the general law of the Church without such special sanction by the Bishop of the Diocese, and no minister who has conscientious objections to solemnizing any such marriage shall be compelled to do so.

Clause 9. No minister of the Church may solemnize the marriage of a Christian with a non-Christian. The Bishop of the Diocese, however, may in special cases permit after due investigation the marriage of a Christian with a catechumen.

Clause 10. The detailed rules framed by the Synod for the solemnization of marriage shall be made so as to secure:

(a) that there be no impediment under the laws of the Church;

(b) that there be proper publicity;

(c) that the rights of the guardians of minors be safeguarded; (d) that marriage be properly registered.

Nevertheless the Synod may make provision for the issue of mar­riage licenses whereby for due cause marriages may be solemnized without the publication of notices or banns under condition (b) above.

Clause 11. The following elements shall be included in any service for the solemnization of marriage used in the Church of North India.

(a) A declaration by each of the parties that they know of no impediment why they may not be lawfully joined together in marriage, or assent by each of the parties to such a declaration read by the minister solemnizing the marriage, or a charge by the minister that if they know of any such impediment, they should confess it, and further a charge by the minister that if any person present know of any such impediment he should forthwith declare it.

(b) Assent by each of the parties to questions by the minister whether they purpose to live together in Christian marriage.

(c) The solemn plighting by the parties of their troth to each other in words spoken by each to the following effect, I, A.B. in the presence of Almighty God take, C.D., to be my wedded wife (or husband) till death us do part, according to God's holy ordi­nance.

(d) The placing of a ring upon the woman's finger by the man or the use of some other visible and permanent symbol, recog­nized by the Church.

(e) Declaration by the minister in the name of the Holy Trinity that they are husband and wife.

(f) Prayer and blessing by the minister.

Clause 12. There shall be a Service of lessing on Civil Marriages from which the part dealing with the legal contract is omitted, and this Service shall be used for persons, who, having already con­tracted a Civil Marriage might otherwise according to the provi­sions of this Constitution have been married in Church.

Clause 13. Diocesan Councils shall frame rules for the mainte­nance, safe custody and regular inspection of registers of mar­riages.

Clause 14. In each Diocese a Marriage Law Committee may be  appointed to advise the Bishop on all matters connected with the marriage law of the Church.

Clause 15. Registration of persons under Section 9 of the Indian Christian Marriage Act (XV of 1872).

In view of the fact that under Section 74 of this Act, second paragraph it is incumbent on such persons to grant certificates of marriage to any who may legally marry one another, whether such marriages be in accordance with the law of the Church or not it is inadvisable that as a general rule ministers of religion should be licensed under Section 9 of the Act. Since, however, it often proves necessary for the power of solemnizing marriages without licence or long notice to be exercised in primitive communities, it is advis­able that certain lay persons should be licensed under Section 9 of the Act and that a small number of ministers should be licensed when circumstances make this advisable.