The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21 years has been sent to a standing committee for wider consultations. The government agreed to refer the bill to the panel after the opposition slammed the “hurriedly” conceived legislation.
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani introduced the bill in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Irani said the bill seeks to override all existing laws, including any custom, usage or practice governing the parties in relation to marriage. Terming the bill as historic, she said after 75 years of Independence, women are being brought at par with men following the right to equality.
The cabinet had cleared the bill in its last meeting. The bill was earlier not listed for introduction in the lower house, but the government included it in the supplementary list which was objected to by the Opposition benches. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the bill has been brought at a very short notice and without any discussion with the stakeholders. “It should be referred to the parliamentary committee,” he said.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the need to bring the bill. Terming it as violation of Article 19, he asked when a person can vote at the age of 18, why they can’t be allowed to get married at the same age. TMC MP Saugata Roy, DMK MP Kanimozhi and NCP's Supriya Sule called for greater discussion on the bill and demanded that it be referred to a parliamentary panel.
The idea of raising the legal age of marriage for women was articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his independence day speech in 2020. A committee was set up for this purpose, which suggested that women’s marriage age be brought at par with men. The main reason for this change was the issue of malnutrition in girls.
Modi hit out at those opposing the bill. Addressing a rally in Prayagraj, he said that his government was trying to increase the age of marriage of women to 21 years so that they would get time to study and progress. “The country is taking this decision for its daughters. Everyone is seeing who is having problems with this...it has caused pain to some."
