The Rajasthan High Court has directed the state government, on Wednesday (May 1), to ensure that no child marriage takes place in the state, and ordered that village heads and panchayat members to be held accountable if they are solemnised. The High Court's order came ahead of the Akshay Tritiya festival which falls on May 10 this year. Traditionally, many child marriages are solemnised on Akshay Tritiya in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan High Court’s divisional bench was hearing a PIL seeking the court's intervention to prevent child marriages. During the hearing, the court noted that inspite of the enforcement of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, child marriages still persist in the state. The court underscored that although there is a reduction in the number of child marriages cases due to efforts put in by the authorities, a lot still needs to be done.
Counsel of Petitioners provided lists of scheduled child marriages
RP Singh, the counsel for the petitioners, said that a list was also provided to the court wherein details of child marriages scheduled in the state around Akshya Tritiya were provided. "As per Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Rules 1996, a duty is cast upon sarpanch to restrict child marriages. Thus, as an interim measure, we would direct the state to call for the report with regard to investigation done to prevent child marriages, which have taken place in the state and also to keep a hawk eye on the list which has been annexed with the public interest litigation," the court said.
The court further added, "The respondents should also ensure that no child marriages take place within the state. Sarpanch and panch should be sensitised and informed that they will be held responsible under section 11 of The Prohibition of Child Marriage act 2006, if they negligently fail to prevent child marriages from being solemnised”.
What UNICEF report says about Child marriages in India?
Notably, the cases of child marriage have steeply falling every decade. According to a UNICEF report titled “Ending Child Marriage A profile of progress in India 2023 update”, India has 23 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18 in 2021, which was around 29 per cent in 2016. Also, the nation registered 4.9 per cent average annual rate of reduction of child marriages.
(With PTI Inputs)
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