📋 Terms of Service

Last Updated: May 8, 2025 | Effective Date: May 8, 2025

1. Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years of age to use Sapt Vachan
• You must be legally eligible for marriage under Indian law
• You must not be currently married (unless legally separated with proof)
• You must be of Hindu religion (this is a Hindu matrimonial platform)
• You must be registering for yourself or an immediate family member with their explicit consent

2. Account Registration

• You must provide accurate, truthful, and complete information during registration
• One person can have only one active account
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
• You must immediately notify us of any unauthorized access to your account
• Profiles created on behalf of others require their documented consent
• We reserve the right to verify any information provided and suspend accounts with false data

3. User Conduct & Community Guidelines

3.1 Expected Behavior

• Treat all users with respect and dignity
• Communicate politely and professionally
• Respond to interests/messages within a reasonable timeframe
• Be honest about your intentions (marriage-only platform)
• Respect others' privacy — do not share their information outside the platform
• Accept rejections gracefully without harassment or repeated contact

3.2 Profile Content Standards

• Use only your own recent, clear photographs (within last 2 years)
• Do not use celebrity photos, AI-generated faces pretending to be you, or others' photos
• Do not include obscene, vulgar, or sexually suggestive content
• Do not include contact details (phone, email, social media) in profile text or photos
• Profile descriptions must be respectful and free from hate speech or discrimination

4. Prohibited Activities

• Fake Profiles: Creating profiles with false identity, photos, or information
• Fraud/Scams: Financial fraud, dowry demands, honey-trapping, or catfishing
• Harassment: Stalking, threatening, abusing, or pressuring other users
• Sexual Misconduct: Sending unsolicited sexual content, propositions, or obscene messages
• Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else or creating profiles without consent
• Bigamy: Registering while already married without legal separation
• Commercial Use: Using the platform for advertising, recruitment, or commercial solicitation
• Data Harvesting: Scraping, copying, or systematically collecting user data
• Multiple Accounts: Operating more than one account simultaneously
• Underage Registration: Registering persons below 18 years of age
• Hate Speech: Content promoting violence, discrimination, or hatred based on caste, gender, or origin
• Manipulation: Attempting to manipulate the matching algorithm or platform systems

5. Moderation & Enforcement

5.1 Our Moderation Process

• AI Screening: Automated detection of fake photos, duplicate accounts, and suspicious patterns
• Manual Review: Human moderators review flagged profiles within 24-48 hours
• User Reports: All user reports are investigated within 48 hours
• Periodic Audits: Random profile audits to ensure authenticity

5.2 Enforcement Actions

1. Warning: First minor violation — account flagged with warning notification
2. Temporary Suspension: Repeated or moderate violations — 7 to 30 day suspension
3. Permanent Ban: Severe violations — immediate permanent ban, no refund
4. Legal Action: Criminal activities reported to law enforcement authorities

5.3 Appeal Process

If you believe your account was incorrectly suspended, you may appeal by emailing moderation@saptvachan.com within 15 days with supporting evidence. Appeals are reviewed within 7 business days.

6. Reporting Fake/Abusive Profiles

• Fake Profile: Stolen photos, false information, non-existent person
• Harassment: Abusive messages, stalking, threats, pressure
• Fraud/Scam: Money requests, fake job offers, financial deception
• Inappropriate Content: Obscene photos, sexual messages, vulgar text
• Already Married: Person is already married and hiding it
• Underage: Person appears to be below 18 years
• Impersonation: Someone using your or another person's identity
• Commercial/Spam: Business promotion, advertisements, irrelevant content

What happens after reporting:

1. Report is logged with timestamp and evidence
2. Reported profile is flagged for priority review
3. Our moderation team investigates within 24-48 hours
4. Reporter is notified of the outcome (action taken)
5. The reported user's identity as reporter is kept 100% confidential

7. Profile Verification

• Basic Verification: Phone number + email verification (all users)
• ID Verification: Government ID proof (Aadhaar/PAN/Passport) — optional but recommended
• Photo Verification: Real-time selfie matching with uploaded photos
• Education Verification: Degree certificate verification
• Income Verification: Salary slip or ITR verification (for premium/elite profiles)

Verified profiles receive a ✓ Verified badge and get higher visibility in search results.

8. Intellectual Property

• All content, design, logos, and code on Sapt Vachan are our intellectual property
• You retain ownership of content you upload (photos, text) but grant us license to display it on the platform
• You may not copy, reproduce, or distribute any platform content without written permission

9. Payments & Refunds

• Free members can browse and send limited interests
• Premium plans are billed as per selected duration (monthly/quarterly/annually)
• Refund within 7 days of purchase if no premium features were used
• No refund for accounts banned due to policy violations
• All payments processed through secure PCI-DSS compliant gateways

10. Limitation of Liability

• Sapt Vachan is a matchmaking platform, not a marriage guarantee service
• We do not guarantee the accuracy of information provided by other users
• We are not responsible for the conduct of users outside our platform
• Users are advised to independently verify information before making marriage decisions
• Our total liability is limited to the amount paid for premium services

11. Termination

• By You: You can delete your account at any time from Dashboard → Settings
• By Us: We may terminate accounts that violate these Terms without prior notice
• Upon termination, your profile is hidden immediately and data deleted within 90 days
• Any unpaid dues remain payable even after termination

12. Dispute Resolution

• Disputes shall first be attempted to resolve through our internal grievance mechanism
• If unresolved, disputes shall be settled through arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996
• Arbitration shall be conducted in English, in India

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any legal proceedings shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in India.