New Delhi: A bill to raise the age of marriage for women to 21 has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The government accepted the demand of the opposition parties. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid heavy protests.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Women and Child Welfare Minister Smriti Irani. When the bill was introduced, the opposition raised strong protests and tore up the bill. Unexpectedly, the bill was included in the agenda of the Lok Sabha and was met with great opposition, including the manner in which it was introduced in the House. The question is how the bill without agenda was introduced.
The bill states that the law raising the age of marriage to 21 will apply to all communities. Seven marriage laws in the country will have to be amended to raise the age of marriage.
Hindu, Christian, and Parsi marriage laws will change. The law will be above the Muslim Sharia system. It will be written in the Child Marriage Prohibition Act. Seven laws need to be changed, including the Christian Marriage Act, the Parsi Marriage Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Special Marriage Act, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act – 1956, the Foreign Marriage Act, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
