Section - 25. Voidable marriages

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Any marriage solemnized under this Act shall be voidable and may be annulled by a decree of nullity if,-
(i) the marriage has not been consummated owing to the wilful refusal of the respondent to
consummate the marriage; or
(ii) the respondent was at the time of the marriage pregnant by some person other than the
petitioner; or
(iii) the consent of either party to the marriage was obtained by coercion or fraud, as defined in
the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (9 of 1872):
Provided that, in the case specified in clause (ii), the court shall not grant a decree unless it is
satisfied,-
(a) that the petitioner was at the time of the marriage ignorant of the facts alleged;
(b) that proceedings were instituted within a year from the date of the marriage; and
(c) that marital intercourse with the consent of the petitioner has not taken place since the
discovery by the petitioner of the existence of the grounds for a decree:
Provided further that in the case specified in clause (iii), the court shall not grant a decree if,-
(a) proceedings have not been instituted within one year after the coercion had ceased or, as the case may be, the fraud had been discovered; or
(b) the petitioner has with his or her free consent lived with the other party to the marriage as husband and wife after the coercion had ceased or, as the case may be, the fraud had been discovered.

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