Terms of Service

1. User Eligibility

You may only create and use a Courtship account if you meet all of the following requirements at the time of registration and throughout your membership:

• Age: You must be at least 18 years of age. The minimum age is not negotiable. Your date of birth is asked for at the start of onboarding; if the date you enter puts you under 18 you cannot continue — the app will not accept the answer and the server refuses the dossier. If we learn through a report that a member is under 18, we close the account at once and delete it at the end of 30 days. Providing a false date of birth to bypass this requirement is grounds for immediate and permanent account termination.
• Marital status: You must currently be unmarried — never married, divorced, or widowed and not yet remarried, as applicable. You must not be in any legally recognised union at the time of account creation.
• Residency: You must be an Indian citizen or a person of Indian origin. Courtship is designed for Indian matrimonial context and is not available outside India at this time.
• Capacity: You must have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement under Indian law.
• Intent: You must be using the Platform genuinely for the purpose of finding a life partner for marriage. Misuse of the Platform for any other purpose is a violation of these Terms.

We reserve the right to verify eligibility at any time. Accounts found to be ineligible will be terminated without notice or refund.

2. The Dossier, Your Identity Anchor, and Verification

Courtship operates on a principle of radical authenticity. Your member dossier — the profile containing your identity and personal information — is the foundation of trust on the Platform.

2.1 Dossier Sealing

When you complete your onboarding and submit your dossier for review, it enters a sealed state. Once sealed, a database rule rejects any ordinary change to the following fields:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Religion
• Caste

The first three are your identity anchor: they are what identity verification confirms (Section 2.4), and they are what another member is relying on when they decide to talk to you.

2.2 Your Identity Agreement, and How a Field Gets Corrected

By sealing your dossier, you agree that the identity-anchor fields you have provided are true and accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that you will not ask us to change them in order to present yourself as someone else.

These fields are locked, but they are not beyond correction. Section 12 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 gives you the right to have inaccurate personal data corrected, and nothing in these Terms overrides that right. We do not edit these fields by hand: your name, date of birth and gender are checked against your identity document. If one is wrong:

• Before your dossier is sealed, if your name is wrong, verify again with your document (Section 2.4). The name on the document replaces the one you entered. After it is sealed, a name that differs from your document is not changed automatically; the app tells you it will be reviewed with you.
• If your date of birth or gender is wrong, delete your account and register again. How to delete your account.
• Other fields you can correct yourself in the app, from your profile.
• A correction is not a route to a new identity: a document that is not genuine, or not your own, is refused (Section 2.4).

2.3 Other Dossier Fields

Non-identity fields (hometown, employer, photos, preferences) may be updated during the onboarding phase prior to dossier sealing. Post-sealing update policies for non-identity fields are communicated within the application.

2.4 Identity Verification

We may ask you to verify your identity with a government document. We accept a passport, a driving licence, a PAN card or a voter ID. We do not accept Aadhaar, and you must not attempt to submit one; an Aadhaar card is refused on your device before anything is sent to us. No document is treated as better than another — all four verify the same three facts.

You confirm that any document you submit is genuine, is your own, and has not been altered. Submitting a false, borrowed or altered document is grounds for immediate and permanent termination without refund, and we may report it to the authorities.

The name, date of birth and gender confirmed by verification become the identity anchor of your account:

• If the name you entered matches the document, we keep the name you entered.
• If the name you entered is contained in the name on the document — for example you entered “Sandhya Rani” and the document reads “Sandhya S. Rani” — we keep the name you entered and tell you what the document says.
• Otherwise, the legal name on the document replaces the name you entered, and we tell you that the name you entered has been discarded. You cannot overrule the document.
• Your date of birth and your gender must match the document exactly. If either does not, verification is refused and we tell you which field did not match.
• If the photograph of the document cannot be read, we ask you to take it again. That is not a failed attempt.

You may make up to 10 verification attempts in any 24 hours. If the name on your document differs from your profile after your dossier is sealed, verification does not complete: the app tells you the difference will be reviewed with you. We do not promise a time for that review.

One verified person may hold one account. We do not store an identifier derived from your document to enforce this — we rely on the selfie check and on review. If we find that one person holds more than one account, we may close all but one.

How the document is processed, what is kept, and how to withdraw your consent are described in Sections 2.2 and 5 of our Privacy Policy.

3. Code of Conduct

Courtship is built on the expectation of respectful, genuine interaction between members seeking marriage partners. All members must adhere to the following conduct standards at all times.

3.1 Required Conduct

• Communicate with all members respectfully, with dignity and care.
• Be honest in all representations about yourself, your circumstances, and your intentions.
• Respond to connections and communications in a timely and considerate manner.

3.2 Prohibited Conduct

Courtship has zero tolerance for objectionable content and for abusive behaviour towards other members. Content that breaches these Terms may be removed, and the responsible membership suspended or terminated, without prior notice and without refund. Every member can report content or conduct, and block another member, from within the app; reports are reviewed and acted on. Photographs are screened before they appear on a profile.

The following behaviours are strictly prohibited:

• Harassment: Any form of harassment, intimidation, threats, or unwanted persistent contact.
• Hate speech: Content that demeans, threatens, or discriminates based on caste, religion, gender, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
• Impersonation: Representing yourself as another person, creating a false identity, or submitting an identity document that is not your own.
• Fraudulent intent: Using the Platform to solicit money, extract personal information under false pretences, or commit fraud of any kind.
• Inappropriate content: Sharing sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate content.
• Commercial solicitation: Using the Platform to advertise or sell products, services, or businesses.
• Multiple accounts: Creating or holding more than one account. One verified person may hold one account (Section 2.4).

3.3 Reporting

If you witness or experience conduct that violates these standards, use the in-app reporting function. Reports are reviewed by a Curator — a person authorised by us to review reported content and flagged profiles. Reports are confidential.

4. Connections: How They Work and How They End

A “connection” on Courtship is a mutual, intentional relationship between two members exploring each other as potential marriage partners.

4.1 Initiating a Connection

You may send a connection request to another member. A connection is established only when both members accept. You are not obligated to accept any connection request.

4.2 Active Connections

Active connections allow members to communicate via the Courtship chat. All communication must comply with the Code of Conduct (Section 3). Courtship does not facilitate, mediate, or guarantee any outcome from a connection.

4.3 Closing a Connection

Either member may close a connection at any time without explanation. Closure is immediate and permanent. Upon closure:

• The connection is marked as closed and no further communication is possible. Neither member can reach the conversation again.
• The messages themselves are retained while your account exists and are deleted when your account is deleted (see Privacy Policy, Section 4).
• A closed connection cannot be reopened. A new connection request may be sent in the future, subject to Platform policies.

4.4 Courtship’s Role

Courtship is a platform facilitator only. We do not arrange marriages, make introductions on your behalf, or guarantee compatibility. You choose who you connect with. Any relationship formed through the Platform is entirely the result of your own decisions and interactions.

5. Payment and Shagun

Courtship charges a one-time admission payment. The following terms apply to all payments made on the Platform.

5.1 Shagun

“Shagun” is Courtship’s one-time admission payment. It is not a subscription: it is charged once, it does not renew, there is no recurring billing and there is no period to cancel. Paying it, together with completing verification, is what opens the member gallery to you. The price and what it includes are shown in the application at the time of purchase.

5.2 Non-Refundable Policy

All Shagun purchases are final and non-refundable once payment is confirmed. By completing a Shagun purchase, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You have reviewed what is included in the purchase before completing the transaction.
• No refund will be issued because you did not use the Platform, or upon voluntary account closure.
• Refunds will be issued only in the event of a verified technical error by Courtship that resulted in non-delivery of what was purchased, at our sole discretion.
• Account termination for violation of these Terms does not entitle you to a refund of any amount paid.

Where you purchased through the App Store or Google Play, the store’s own refund process remains available to you and is not limited by this section.

5.3 Payment Processing

Payments are processed through the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). The respective store’s payment terms also apply. Courtship does not store your payment instrument details.

6. Account Termination

Your Courtship account may be terminated — either by you or by us — under the following circumstances.

6.1 Termination by You

You may close your account at any time from within the application. Upon requesting closure:

• Your account enters a 30-day grace period during which your profile is withdrawn from the member gallery and the account is still recoverable.
• After 30 days the data is deleted as described in Privacy Policy Section 4.
• Your existing connections are removed when the account is deleted at the end of that period. We do not send a separate notification to the members you were connected with.
• No refund is issued for a Shagun payment already made. It is a one-time payment, so there is no unused period to refund.

6.2 Termination by Courtship

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account, without prior notice and without refund, if we determine that you have:

• Provided false information during registration or verification, including a false, borrowed or altered identity document
• Violated the Code of Conduct (Section 3)
• Engaged in fraudulent, abusive, or harmful behaviour toward any member or toward Courtship
• Failed to meet or no longer meet eligibility requirements (Section 1)
• Used the Platform for any purpose other than genuine matrimonial matchmaking
• Breached any provision of these Terms

6.3 Effects of Termination

Upon termination (by either party), access to the Platform ceases immediately. Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that have already accrued, including any obligations arising from conduct during the membership period.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Indian law:

• Courtship is a platform — we are not a matchmaker, marriage bureau, or guarantor of any connection or marriage outcome.
• We are not liable for any loss, harm, or disappointment arising from interactions between members, the failure of a connection to result in marriage, or the closing of a connection by either party.
• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform.
• Our total liability to you for any direct damages shall not exceed the amount paid by you to Courtship in the 3 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

8. Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the following resolution process:

• Step 1 — Grievance Officer: Contact our Grievance Officer (Section 11) at grievance@courtship.club. We acknowledge within 24 hours and resolve within 15 days.
• Step 2 — Mediation: If the matter is not resolved through Step 1, either party may initiate mediation before a mutually agreed mediator.
• Step 3 — Jurisdiction: If mediation fails, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. You waive any objection to this venue.

Nothing in this Section prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a court of competent jurisdiction. If your complaint concerns your personal data and you are not satisfied with our answer, you may also complain to the Data Protection Board of India.

9. Intellectual Property

All content on the Courtship Platform — including the application design, brand, text, and software — is owned by Courtship and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Platform content without our express written permission.

You retain ownership of the personal data and photos you upload to your dossier. By uploading content to the Platform, you grant Courtship a limited, non-exclusive licence to use that content solely for the purpose of providing the matchmaking service to you.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our service, applicable law, or operational requirements. When we do:

• We will update the version number and the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
• A material change is shown to you in the app, and you accept it to continue using the Platform. We record your acceptance.
• If you do not accept the updated Terms, you cannot continue to use the Platform, and you may close your account.

11. Who We Are and How to Reach Us

Courtship is operated by the company below, which is also the Data Fiduciary for your personal data under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.