Rajasthan Amends Marriage Registration Law, Opp’n Claims Bill ‘Permits Child Marriages’
The entire opposition walked out of the assembly, calling it a Black Day
Mumbai: Rajasthan on Friday passed a bill to amend a 2009 Act on compulsory registration of marriages, including child marriages, as Opposition MLAs walked out of the Assembly. Under this law, information on child marriages must be furnished by their parents or Guardians within 30 days of the wedding.
The assembly passed the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which amends the Rajasthan Compulsory registration of Marriages Act, 2009. The bill was passed by voice vote.
BJP legislators walked out of the house and questioned the need for the registration of child marriages and demanded the withdrawal of the bill.
ANI quoted BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti saying, “It will be a black day for the assembly if this bill is passed. Does the assembly permit us to unanimously allow child marriages? By a show of hands, we will be permitting child marriages. The bill will write a black chapter in the history of the assembly,”
The opposition objected to the amendment of Section 8 of the 2009 act, saying that it should be done away with. Under Section 8 of the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, if the girl’s age at the time of marriage is less than 18 years and the boy’s age is less than 21, then her parents will have to inform the registration officer within 30 days.
However, Rajasthan parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal said that the bill nowhere validates child marriage.
“You say that child marriages will be validated. Nowhere does this amendment say that such marriages will be 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.
Congress Government in the state added that this bill has been brought based on a Supreme Court order.
While earlier, only the District Marriage Registration Officer (DMRO) was authorized to register the marriages. The bill passed on Friday empowers the government to appoint an additional district marriage registration officer (DMRO) and block Marriage Registration Officer (MRO) to register marriages.
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