Rajasthan passes bill to register child marriages

After a stormy debate,the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday passed the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Amendment bill-2021 of Rajasthan. New bill ammends the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2009. Now, information on child marriage must be furnished by their parents or guardians within 30 days of the wedding. According to the new law, the marriage registration officer will do the registration up to the block level. This provision has been made in Section 8 of the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal argued that registration of child marriages does not imply that they will be considered valid. A marriage certificate is a legal document, in the absence of which a widow won't receive the benefit of any govt  scheme,Dhariwal said. Dhariwal asserted that the Supreme Court, in a 2006 judgment in Seema vs Ashwini Kumar case, had directed that registration of all types of marriages should be mandatory. He argued that Registration of child marriages is not meant to legitimize them and said that if a minor is married, then s/he will have the right to annul it as soon as s/he attains majority. 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators walked out of the House and questioned the need for the registration of child marriages and demanded the withdrawal of the bill. The bill will write a black chapter in the history of the assembly,” BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti said, Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod said that registering child marriages is like validating them and is a clear violation of the Sharda Act, the law to prevent child marriage. Social activists have opposed this controversial bill.  Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha also opposed the bill.