Indore: Women Dept Officials Rush To Wedding Venue, Foil Child Marriage Attempt

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A family in Indore attempted to marry off a 16-year-old girl on Friday, but the authorities stopped them in time an official said.

According to Women and Child Development Department project officer Chitra Yadav, pre-wedding ceremonies were taking place in a home in the Kamathipura neighbourhood to marry off the young girl to a 26-year-old man from Ujjain.

A team from the department and police officers rushed to the girl's residence after learning about the evening wedding, she said, and they ended the ceremony.

The officials stated that they had given the girl's family a warning about the repercussions of child marriage and required them to sign a pledge promising not to marry their daughter until she turned eighteen.

The girl claimed that her father, who passed away recently, arranged the marriage.

According to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, there is a two-year rigorous prison sentence, a one-lakh fine, or both for child marriage.

According to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006, a person cannot get married unless they are at least 21 years old for men and 18 years old for women. Under the 2006 Act, a person who marries before the legal minimum age may request an annulment. The petition must be filed within two years of the petitioner's age of majority, which is twenty years of age.