Marrying uncle who is already married?

Prohibited degrees of relationship for marriage generally means blood-relationship or consanguineous relationship. Prohibited degrees of relationship by virtue of marriage belongs to another category. The laws and concepts with regard either kind of relationships vary from culture to culture and also from time to time. In the case of marriage between blood-relations often a scientific reason  given is the high probability of the transmission of genetic disorders. There is no such thing in the cases of relationships through marriage.

In the case presented here, the present wife of the uncle is the aunt, who is next only to a mother, to the girl. She is also a blood relation of the girl who wants to marry her husband. Can a girl marry her elder sister's husband either before or after the death or divorce of the wife (the elder sister). Such marriages are readily accepted in India. Now can a young man marry the wife of his elder brother? Jyeshta bratha pitru sama: An elder brother is equal to one's father. Hence an elder brother's wife is equal to one's mother. One marrying one's own mother is revolting indeed. But marrying an elder brother's widow is an accepted practice in certain parts of North India.

Coming back to this case the husband of one's aunt is like a father. But he is only like a father and not a father. Before he married the aunt he was not even like a father. Hence, if he divorces the aunt or if the aunt dies, he is no more even like a father to the girl. Most probably marriages with similar relationships have been legalized in England by the Act of 1986.

Most of the responses to the original post are indignant. But perceptions are different for different people. Sometimes people get confused between such marriages and marriages with considerable age difference.

We hear such remarks as "they look like father and daughter". But the fact is they are not actually father and daughter. There should be no confusion.