Bill to increase girl's marriage age must be 'scrutinised', says CPM leader

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha floor leader Elamaram Kareem on Monday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to send the bill for increasing the age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 years, saying it should not be rushed through as it needed "deeper scrutiny" and further consultation with stakeholders.

Kareem said that the bill has a very huge social impact and it should undergo thorough Parliamentary scrutiny and consultation with all sections of society before enacting it as law.

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He said that the intention behind this legislation has drawn widespread criticism in different levels and If this bill is passed, various personal and faith-based laws which govern marriages in India now, including The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, will have to be amended.

"Not only that, the results will be catastrophic if the government is planning to merely raise the age of marriage without creating any social awareness. If the bill is drafted considering health reasons, as the government claims, what is required then is to ensure nourishment and food security to prevent maternal and infant mortality," Kareem said in the letter.

"The argument that the age of marriage of women is being raised to bring about gender equality is also fallacious. For this, the government could have considered the 18th Law Commission recommendation which says that the age of marriage of boys should be lowered to 18 to bring about parity," he said.

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He also said that women organisations or even the state-run women bodies were not consulted before drafting this bill and considering the importance of this legislation and its social impact, the government should step back from pushing the bill for consideration and passing it in a "hasty manner".

"I request you that the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 should be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for deeper scrutiny and consultation with stakeholders. Expecting an appropriate action at the earliest," he said.