<p>Bengaluru: The KR Puram police have booked a wedding hall owner, the parents of an underage girl, her "groom" and his parents for facilitating the child marriage.</p><p>The police action followed a complaint from Shivaprasad Yadav, an official from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), on December 10.</p><p>He procured the girl’s birth certificate from her school and approached the police seeking action against all those involved, including the wedding hall owner, who allegedly facilitated the event.</p>.Child marriage is both a legal violation and a moral injustice, says minister Annapurna Devi.<p>Officials got wind of the matter through Childline, a national helpline run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.</p><p>The marriage reportedly took place on October 26.</p><p>According to the FIR, the girl was 16 years and seven months old at marriage, making the nuptial a violation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.</p><p>Police named the owner of Crown Palace Wedding Hall as accused number 1. The 20-year-old bridegroom and his parents have been listed as accused number 2, while the minor girl’s parents have been named as accused number 3.</p><p>A police investigation showed that the girl's elder sister forced the marriage to ward off 'ghosts' afflicting her. She thought the 'marriage would set things right'.</p><p>Syed Ayat, the wedding hall owner, denied facilitating the marriage, claiming the ceremony had taken place elsewhere and the family had only booked the hall for dinner.</p><p>"I am not responsible for verifying the couple’s documents," he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The KR Puram police have booked a wedding hall owner, the parents of an underage girl, her "groom" and his parents for facilitating the child marriage.</p><p>The police action followed a complaint from Shivaprasad Yadav, an official from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), on December 10.</p><p>He procured the girl’s birth certificate from her school and approached the police seeking action against all those involved, including the wedding hall owner, who allegedly facilitated the event.</p>.Child marriage is both a legal violation and a moral injustice, says minister Annapurna Devi.<p>Officials got wind of the matter through Childline, a national helpline run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.</p><p>The marriage reportedly took place on October 26.</p><p>According to the FIR, the girl was 16 years and seven months old at marriage, making the nuptial a violation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.</p><p>Police named the owner of Crown Palace Wedding Hall as accused number 1. The 20-year-old bridegroom and his parents have been listed as accused number 2, while the minor girl’s parents have been named as accused number 3.</p><p>A police investigation showed that the girl's elder sister forced the marriage to ward off 'ghosts' afflicting her. She thought the 'marriage would set things right'.</p><p>Syed Ayat, the wedding hall owner, denied facilitating the marriage, claiming the ceremony had taken place elsewhere and the family had only booked the hall for dinner.</p><p>"I am not responsible for verifying the couple’s documents," he said.</p>