(1) For the purpose of any inquiry under section 8, the Marriage Officer shall have all the powers vested in a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), when trying a suit in respect of the following matters, namely:—
(a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath;
(b) discovery and inspection;
(c) compelling the production of documents;
(d) reception of evidence on affidavits; and
(e) issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses;
and any proceeding before the Marriage Officer shall be deemed to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning of section 193 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
Explanation.— For the purpose of enforcing the attendance of any person to give evidence, the local limits of the jurisdiction of the Marriage Officer shall be the local limits of his district.
(2) If it appears to the Marriage Officer that the objection made to an intended marriage is not reasonable and has not been made in good faith he may impose on the person objecting costs by way of compensation not exceeding one thousand rupees and award the whole or any part thereof to the parties to the intended marriage, and any order for costs so made may be executed in the same manner as a decree passed by the district Court within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the Marriage Officer has his office.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 9
Section 9 confers civil court powers upon Marriage Officers for conducting inquiries under Section 8, including powers of summoning witnesses, inspecting documents, and awarding compensatory costs for vexatious objections.
When an objection is dismissed as malicious or bad-faith, actively press for maximum costs under Section 9(2). The finding of malicious objection in a Section 9 order serves as conclusive foundation for instituting a subsequent civil damages suit for malicious harassment.