Bill on marriage age for women lapses with dissolution of 17th Lok Sabha
Despite receiving multiple extensions, the standing committee failed to reach a conclusion, resulting in the bill's lapse.
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Hyderabad: Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, proposed in December 2021, was referred to the standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports for discussion.
Despite receiving multiple extensions, the standing committee failed to reach a conclusion, resulting in the bill's lapse.
Former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P. D. T. Acharya, speaking to PTI, stated that the bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha. The bill was introduced to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, with the aim of setting a minimum marriage age of 21 for women.
Moreover, the bill would have superseded any conflicting laws, customs, or practices.
Currently, individuals who marry too young can annul the marriage within two years of turning 20.
However, if the new bill had been passed, this period would have extended to five years (until they turn 23).
The 17th Lok Sabha was dissolved following the election of new members to the 18th Lok Sabha in the general elections.
In order to eradicate child marriages in India and provide relief to victims, the Indian government introduced the bill considering the data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
The government also took the recommendations of the Jaya Jaitly committee into consideration before introducing the bill.
With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a bill aiming to establish the same marriage age for both men and women has become obsolete.
