A Black Day? Congress-led Rajasthan govt passes bill allowing 'registration of child marriage'

Jaipur, Sept 18: The Rajasthan Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot has passed the ‘Compulsory Registration of Marriages Amendment bill of Rajasthan’. The bill is to register child marriage, the Congress government has allowed the registration of child marriages in the state.

 

 

The bill stated that if the girl is under the age of 18 at the time of the wedding and the boy is under the age of 21, the parents must notify the registration officer within 30 days by furnishing a memorandum to the officer in the prescribed format. The concerned authority will begin the registration process based on the information provided.

 

 

Several leaders opposed this bill saying that it justifies child marriages. Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha said that the Bill "justifies child marriage, it is wrong, against the people. There is now an abundance of people who educate their children and don’t like child marriages. But if you justify child marriages, this will send a wrong marriage before the nation. The Rajasthan Assembly will be humiliated before the entire nation."

 

 

Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state is formulating a law which is against the Child Marriage Act. “Back then too, you had used the same words as now…you are authorising minor kids to get married. The only restriction is that their kin have to inform within 30 days.”

 

“We made a mistake once and now we are repeating it,” Kataria said, and apologised for the 2009 Act saying that he was a member of the Assembly back then too. “If minor kids get married and the state gives them a certificate as per law then how is this correct?” he said, asking what will the punishment be if the kin of married underage kids don’t give information.