GOPAL LAL vs STATE OF RAJASTHAN

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction under Section 494 IPC for bigamy, affirming that the second marriage, contracted by the appellant according to the custom of nata marriage, was valid as the necessary ceremonies were performed. The Court clarified that the voidness of the second marriage under Section 17 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 does not exempt the applicability of Section 494 IPC, as the latter requires proof of a valid second marriage while the first marriage is subsisting. The Court concluded that the appellant's actions constituted an offence of bigamy as defined by the IPC.