The Bombay High Court ruled in a landmark case that Muslim males can register multiple marriages. However, the judgment went on to clarify that the 1998 Maharashtra Regulation of Marriage Bureaus and Registration of Marriages Act does not prevent them from conducting this practice. Such a judgment was based on the simple fact that Muslim personal law permits polygamy and is thus far superior to state legislation that may seem to legally prohibit them.Case Background A case had been brought before the Bombay High Court challenging the registration of a second marriage performed by a Muslim man against whom a petition had been filed. The petitioners argued that the impugned Maharashtra Act mandating the registration of all marriages in the state naturally restrained the Muslim males from registering more than one marriage, regardless of their religion. According to them, the said practice was contrary to the provisions of the state law, as it did not bear any implications of polygamy. On the contrary, it was pleaded by the respondents that Muslim personal law, as contained in the Shariat, enshrines a right of a male to marry four wives. They argued that the personal laws governing the Muslim community could not be set at naught by the state's marriage registration act, which had been entrenched in the Indian legal system since decades. Judgement of the Court The Bombay High Court, after considering the perceptive side, issued a decree in favor of the right of a Muslim man to register multiple marriages. The court further pored over the provisions of the Maharashtra Regulation of Marriage Bureaus and Registration of Marriages Act and considered the overall implications. In the given act, there was no particular clause that would adversely affect the registration of more than one marriage by a Muslim man. The court made a pronouncement in that regard-it pointed out that all personal laws come under the complete cover of the Indian Constitution and any inconsistency between state laws and personal laws must be resolved in favor of the latter relating to religious practices. The judgment reiterated that although the Act provides for regulation of marriage registrations in the state, it has not violated the rights of Muslim men to wed multiple wives as allowed under their own religious law. The court, further clarified that even as such marriages are conducted under Muslim personal law, they may be lawfully registered. Legal Consequences This judgment will carry very significant implications for the Muslim community of Maharashtra and all over India, as it underlines legal validity of the personal laws to govern certain aspects of family life. In reiterating the principle that state legislation was not superior to religious law in matters of personal nature, unless such legislation was contrary to the contrary, the Bombay High Court reasserted the right of a Muslim man to register multiple marriages.