The legal age of consent is 18 years. “Sexual intercourse by a married man with their minor wife below 18 years is rape,” the court said in its judgement, which was welcomed by women’s rights campaigners. Wednesday’s verdict would not be applied retrospectively, however, said the court, which based its conclusions on India’s Child Marriage Prohibition Act. Men both above and below the legal age may marry child brides. India’s 2011 census showed child marriage had declined marginally from a decade earlier but more than 5 million girls were still married before the legal age of 18.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 11, 2017 11:26 UTC