The administration in Maharashtra's Nanded district has prevented 36 child marriages in the past month through counselling, awareness efforts, and on-ground verification.
Authorities in Beed, Maharashtra, intervened to prevent the marriage of a 17-year-old girl to a 28-year-old man, leading to the registration of a case against the groom and family members under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
Police in Indore have registered a case against 13 people, including the groom, after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly married off despite warnings from the local administration. The marriage occurred after an exchange agreement between families.
Authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district intervened to stop a marriage between a 13-year-old girl and a 42-year-old man, after discovering a fake marksheet was used to falsely claim the girl was of legal marriageable age.
A child marriage case in Maharashtra's Beed district has come to light after a minor girl suffered a miscarriage and was admitted to hospital, leading to a police investigation and charges against her husband, in-laws, and parents.
Police in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, are investigating a case of alleged child marriage and sexual exploitation after hospital staff raised concerns during a medical examination of two girls.
Police in Kasaragod, Kerala, have registered a case against the organisers of an alleged child marriage involving a 16-year-old girl. The investigation includes examining CCTV footage and questioning witnesses.
'People don't believe that a 15-year-old girl subjected to sexual intercourse within a marriage is a victim of rape.'
The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is recommending that the state government mandate the inclusion of the bride and groom's date of birth on wedding invitations to combat child marriages.
Experts and global leaders have called on the United Nations to declare a dedicated 'World Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage', highlighting that a child marriage still occurs every three seconds globally.
A 21-year-old woman in Jodhpur has successfully annulled her child marriage, which took place when she was only 12 years old. The court emphasized the adverse impact of child marriage and the importance of eliminating the practice.
A woman in Jodhpur, India, successfully annulled her child marriage through a court battle, highlighting the ongoing issue of child marriage and the importance of legal intervention and social support.
An eight-year-old boy's timely intervention helped prevent the child marriage of his friend from Class 5, scheduled on the night of Akshaya Tritiya, highlighting both the persistence of the social evil and the strength of awareness among children.
Over 2019 to 2023 West Bengal and Jharkhand saw the share of girl child marriages in total weddings rise.
The Bihar government has formed a state-level task force to monitor actions taken by authorities to prevent and eradicate child marriages in the state. Bihar has the second-highest rate of child marriage in India, with 40.8% of women getting married before turning 18. The government is implementing a multipronged strategy to combat child marriage, including stricter enforcement of the law, empowering girls through education, and raising awareness.
The apex court termed the prevalence of "social evil" of child marriage as "sobering" and passed a slew of directions to the Centre, states, district administrations, panchayats and the judiciary to eradicate the malaise.
The Supreme Court on Friday held that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act cannot be stunted by personal laws and that marriages involving children violate the free will to have a life partner of choice.
The Rajasthan High Court overturned a family court's decision, granting a woman a divorce and strongly criticising the 'Aata-Sata' marriage custom, highlighting the need to assess matrimonial disputes based on the 'preponderance of probabilities' rather than criminal law standards.
Under the title of "legal enforcement", states and Union Territories were directed to appoint officers solely responsible for discharging the functions of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers at the district level.
A woman in Jodhpur, India, successfully annulled her marriage, which was solemnised when she was 12 years old, after a court battle, highlighting the ongoing issue of child marriage and the importance of legal intervention.
Rediff Labs analyzed the data on district wise child marriages in India by Census of India 2011.
A man in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested after allegedly killing his one-and-a-half-year-old relative by repeatedly slamming him onto the ground. The crime occurred after the child's mother rejected the accused's marriage proposal.
The court also rapped the Assam government for slapping stringent laws like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) and rape charges on child marriage accused.
The Rajasthan High Court has overturned a family court's decision and granted a divorce to a woman, criticising the 'Aata-Sata' marriage custom and stating that cruelty in matrimonial disputes does not require proof 'beyond reasonable doubt'.
Police in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have arrested a man and his father in connection with the alleged murder of the man's four-year-old stepdaughter. The child was reportedly beaten to death and her body secretly buried. The arrests followed a complaint by the child's mother, and the body is set to be exhumed for examination.
At least 2,441 people have been arrested in the state till Monday in the continuing operation against child marriage, launched on February 3.
The Calcutta High Court has upheld a magistrate court's decision to grant interim maintenance to a Hindu woman who married a man according to Muslim rites and customs, citing Supreme Court precedents on the husband's liability for maintenance until the marriage is declared void.
"There was a knock on the door around 2 am on Thursday. We opened the door and found policemen outside. They took away my husband," Nimee told PTI in a feeble voice, as her one-and-half-month-old son cried in her arms just as he was when his father was being arrested.
The opposition parties, including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all the stakeholders before its introduction.
Chitra tells us how her strained relationship with her husband and mother-in-law gradually improved after her father-in-law passed away.
Amid protests in Barak Valley, Morigaon and Dhubri, the crackdown on child marriage in Assam entered the fourth day on Monday, with the number of arrests rising to 2,441.
The opposition has criticised the manner in which the drive against child marriage was being carried out, equating the police action with "terrorising people".
13,660 km. 40 million Biharis participate in this year's 'world's longest' human chain.
As the police said they have a list of 8,000 accused and the drive will continue, women protested against the move in various districts saying they will face problems without livelihoods.
rediffGURU Dr Upneet Kaur counsels a married man who is feeling lost in his relationship.
According to the latest NCRB data, close acquaintances are the primary offenders in 96.6 per cent of child sexual abuse cases in India. The report highlights the involvement of family members, friends, and online contacts in these offences, with Tamil Nadu reporting the highest number of cases.
A total of 2,241 arrests have been made so far in the state, based on 4,074 FIRs, as part of the crackdown launched four days ago.
Sources said the panel has also recommended that boys and girls will have equal inheritance rights, registration of marriages will be made mandatory and the marriageable age for girls would be increased so that they can become graduates before marriage.
A married man and his parents have been booked for allegedly abducting a girl student from Kolkata, forcing her to convert to another religion, and then marrying her, a senior police officer said on Friday.
The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi government to assess the well-being of a child in a disputed paternity case, ensuring access to basic necessities and a minimum standard of living.
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