<p>Bengaluru: The Legislative Council on Tuesday passed the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the Name of Honour and Tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Bill 2026. It was passed by the Assembly on Monday.</p>.<p>Piloting the Bill in the Council, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said: “There are some lacunae in the current laws while providing support to the couple, compulsory interference by the police, speedy disbursal of justice and so on. Since a dedicated law does not exist, the culprits are getting away without harsh punishment and the victims are not being properly rehabilitated.”</p>.<p>BJP MLC K S Naveen pointed out that marriage counsellors were necessary to establish consensus amongst the families of the couple. “This Bill intends to support true love. However, many teenage girls are purposely misled across the state. If the government’s law helps such instances, it may be of use in hundreds of such cases.” </p>.<p>Responding to arguments that a girl, who reaches marriageable age at 18, may not be mature enough to take such a major decision, the minister reeled out statistics and showed that a higher minimum age for marriage was seen in many countries. </p>.<p>In China, Nepal and New Zealand, the minimum marriage age is 20 for men and women, it is 21 years in Canada and Honduras, while a couple younger than 21 should seek special permission to marry in Singapore, he said. </p>.<p>He further noted that the final authority to decide on the basic marriage age lies with the Union government. </p>.<p>“This is not just a matter of marriage. It concerns freedom and fear. Concerns law, societal pressure, humanity and old mindset. Thus, such laws need to be brought,” Congress MLA Nagaraj Yadav said. </p>.<p>While some points and concerns were raised by MLCs, the Bill was unanimously passed.</p>.<p>The Bill notes that once two individuals agree to enter into marriage, the consent of parents, family, caste or clan is not necessary. It also imposes minimum five-year imprisonment in addition to the punishment under Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) for those killing in the name of honour. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Legislative Council on Tuesday passed the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the Name of Honour and Tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Bill 2026. It was passed by the Assembly on Monday.</p>.<p>Piloting the Bill in the Council, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said: “There are some lacunae in the current laws while providing support to the couple, compulsory interference by the police, speedy disbursal of justice and so on. Since a dedicated law does not exist, the culprits are getting away without harsh punishment and the victims are not being properly rehabilitated.”</p>.<p>BJP MLC K S Naveen pointed out that marriage counsellors were necessary to establish consensus amongst the families of the couple. “This Bill intends to support true love. However, many teenage girls are purposely misled across the state. If the government’s law helps such instances, it may be of use in hundreds of such cases.” </p>.<p>Responding to arguments that a girl, who reaches marriageable age at 18, may not be mature enough to take such a major decision, the minister reeled out statistics and showed that a higher minimum age for marriage was seen in many countries. </p>.<p>In China, Nepal and New Zealand, the minimum marriage age is 20 for men and women, it is 21 years in Canada and Honduras, while a couple younger than 21 should seek special permission to marry in Singapore, he said. </p>.<p>He further noted that the final authority to decide on the basic marriage age lies with the Union government. </p>.<p>“This is not just a matter of marriage. It concerns freedom and fear. Concerns law, societal pressure, humanity and old mindset. Thus, such laws need to be brought,” Congress MLA Nagaraj Yadav said. </p>.<p>While some points and concerns were raised by MLCs, the Bill was unanimously passed.</p>.<p>The Bill notes that once two individuals agree to enter into marriage, the consent of parents, family, caste or clan is not necessary. It also imposes minimum five-year imprisonment in addition to the punishment under Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) for those killing in the name of honour. </p>
