Row brews over Rajasthan Marriage Registration Amendment Bill

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Published : Sep 22, 2021, 9:10 AM IST

Updated : Sep 22, 2021, 12:03 PM IST

Row over Rajasthan Marriage Registration Amendment Bill

The Ashok Gehlot government's 'Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2021' has led to a new row, with the Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights raising objections saying that it would legitimise child marriages.

Jaipur (Rajasthan): The Ashok Gehlot government's 'Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2021' has led to a new row, with the Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights raising objections saying that it would legitimise child marriages. Amid uproar, the Rajasthan Assembly on September 17 had passed the Bill, 2021 by voice vote to amend a 2009 Act on compulsory registration of marriages within 30 days. According to the new bill, the bride and groom can apply for registration of marriage to the marriage registration officer of the place where they have been residing for more than 30 days.

According to this Bill, the marriage between the bridegroom who has not completed 21 years and the bride who has not completed 18 years of age could be registered by the parents or guardians within the 30 days of the marriage, said the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Shanti Kumar Dhariwal in the assembly.

Row over Rajasthan Marriage Registration Amendment Bill

"The bill does not say that child marriage is valid. The bill says that after marriage, only registration is necessary. It does not imply that child marriage is valid. If the District Collector wants, he or she can still take action against child marriages. This amendment is not in contradiction to the central law. The Supreme Court has also ruled that there should be compulsory registration of marriages, Hence the bill includes child marriages," Dhariwal had said.

From the BJP's side, Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod and Ashok Lahoti lodged strong objections. The opposition said that the law would be against the Hindu Marriage Act and that it has been devised to legalize child marriage in Rajasthan.

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A similar concern has also been expressed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The commission even wrote to Governor Kalraj Mishra saying that this law legalizes child marriage, which can have a serious impact on the health and education of minors.

However, the chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sangeeta Beniwal, says that this law does not encourage child marriage, the intention of the government is to give benefits of government facilities to the people, yet if there is any misconception about it, the commission will recommend the government to remove it. We have called for a meeting of the full commission and even spoke to social organizations as well. We have always taken drastic steps to stop child marriage in the state, Beniwal added.

What is Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2021?

The Compulsory Marriage Registration Act was introduced in Rajasthan in 2009. The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government has now amended and passed it in the assembly. The bill states that if the married couple has not completed the legal age of marriage, then the parent or guardian will have to submit an application within the prescribed period (30 days). Under the proposed law, if the age of the girl is less than 18 years and the age of the boy is less than 21 years at the time of marriage, then the parents or guardians will have to inform the registration officer within the specified period. Earlier this registration was done at the district level, but now registration of marriage can be done at the block level only.

Also read: Rajasthan amends law to make marriage registration compulsory

Bhagyashree Saini, a social activist and child marriage survivor, strongly objecting to this bill said, "Are we moving forward to remove the evils from the society or to restore them? Child marriage is a punishable offence under the 2006 Act. All those who get involved in child marriage and participate in this event are guilty, they can be punished with imprisonment. But this new law says that even if child marriage has taken place, then it can be registered."

"States like Karnataka have completely eliminated the evil practice of child marriage in 2017. Whereas Rajasthan is finding ways to give legal recognition to such marriages," Saini added.

Last Updated :Sep 22, 2021, 12:03 PM IST
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