My husband and I had a quiet court marriage, just the two of us, a year before our big Hindu wedding with everyone. Sadly, he’s been in prison for two years facing serious charges. I’ve lost the court marriage certificate and want a divorce based on the Hindu marriage. Could he use our earlier court marriage against me? I’m worried about my family finding out.

Your husband could potentially use the court marriage to argue against your divorce petition based on the Hindu Marriage Act. However, since you are seeking divorce based on your Hindu marriage, the validity of the earlier court marriage could be challenged in court. Your family finding out about the court marriage would be a separate concern unrelated to the legal proceedings.