High Court allows 19-year-old girl to go with her 36-year-old MLA husband

19-year-old S Soundarya and her husband A Prabhu, an AIADMK MLA, can now enjoy their wedlock peacefully.

The Madras High Court on Friday allowed Soundarya to go with Prabhu after the girl categorically said that she married the legislator after being in love with him for four months.

Soundarya appeared before the division bench of justices M M Sundresh and D Krishnakumar during a hearing of the habeas corpus petition filed by her father who alleged that his daughter was kidnapped by the MLA from Kallakurichi constituency. The girl’s father Swaminathan, working as a priest at a temple in Thiyagadurgam, 235 km from here, in the newly-formed Kallakurichi district, also appeared before the court on Friday.

The MLA, who belongs to Scheduled Caste, had married Soundarya at a simple ceremony in the presence of his family members on Monday amid drama as Swaminathan attempted to self-immolate outside the venue.

During the hearing, Soundarya told the judges that she married Prabhu on her own will and that there was no force involved. The 19-year-old, who is pursuing a degree course, also said that she was neither abducted nor threatened by Prabhu as alleged by her father.

“I want to go with my husband,” Soundarya told the judges who allowed her to go with Prabhu as both are adults and they entered into the wedlock willingly. Therefore, the case filed by the father does not hold, the judges ruled.

However, the father indicated he might appeal against the order of the High Court as he feels his daughter is not mature enough to make decisions on her own. The priest maintained that he is opposed to the marriage only because of the age difference between the two. While Prabhu is 36 years old, Soundarya is just 19.

Prabhu was close to Soundarya’s family for the past 10 years and had enjoyed a good rapport with them and that is how the couple came to know each other. “Since we treated him like our son, we never thought he would do this to us,” Swaminathan said.

Prabhu told DH, “My wife made it categorical to the judges that she married me at her own will and that there was no force. She went to the court alone and expressed her wish to continue living with me. I stand vindicated today. I never forced or kidnapped Soundarya.”

He maintained that his father-in-law was “playing into the hands” of people who want to use their marriage to settle political scores with him.