(1) For the purposes of this Act, the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint one or more Marriage Officers for the whole or any part of the State.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, in its application to citizens of India domiciled in the territories to which this Act extends, who are in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify such officers of the Central Government as it may think fit to be the Marriage Officers of the State or any part thereof.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 3
Section 3 empowers the State Government and Central Government to appoint Marriage Officers for each district and for foreign territories, establishing the statutory civil administrative machinery for secular marriages.
If a Marriage Officer insists on parental consent or refuses to accept notice of intended marriage under Section 5, issue an immediate legal notice pointing out that such conditions exceed Section 3 statutory authority, followed by a writ of mandamus.