Venkaiah Naidu, Rajya Sabha Chairman, granted a three-month extension to the Standing Committee examining the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment), Bill, 2021.
Aimed to raise the legal age of marriage of women in the country to 21 years from the present 18 years, the Bill was tabled by Women and Child Development minister Smriti Irani last December.
By March 24, the Bill, which has received objections from women and child rights experts, was to present its report in the current session of the House.
The law prevent the abuse of minors and prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages. To extend to all communities, irrespective of religion the amendment in the Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, 2006, is proposed.
Minority organisations have expressed concern over the infringement of the rights of the minorities in deciding their own code for marriages within their communities.
On the basis that such a legislation would push a large portion of the population into illegal marriages Child and Women’s rights activists, family planning experts have not been in favour of increasing the age of marriage for women.
They have said the law would end up being coercive, and particularly impact marginalised communities such as the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
