By the time you finish reading this article, hundreds of marriages would have been planned to be solemnised on Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej, which falls on May 10 this year. While the day is considered auspicious for marriages, the socially accepted crime of child marriage also takes place on this occasion. From the Age of Consent Bill 1860, and the Indian Penal Code provisions barring abduction for the purpose of marriage, to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 (PCMA), India has one of the most comprehensive legal systems to prevent child marriage. The Supreme Court dealt with the issue of sexual intercourse with a child in a marital relationship as an offence tantamount to child rape, first in Bachpan Bachao Andolan vs Union of India in January 2017 and then in Independent Thought vs Union of India. In recent years, several high courts have opined that child marriage is allowed under personal laws in various communities.

Source: Indian Express May 08, 2024 07:16 UTC