Supreme Court Awaits Verdict on Child Marriage PIL

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgement on a PIL by an NGO alleging a rise in child marriages and inadequate implementation of related laws. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, heard arguments from both the NGO and the Centre, which claimed a reduction in child marriages.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its judgement on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO, 'Society for Enlightenment and Voluntary Action', which alleged an increase in child marriages across India and criticized the ineffective enforcement of the relevant law.

A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, listened to arguments from the petitioner's counsel and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, before reserving the verdict.

The Centre countered the NGO's claims, stating that child marriages have significantly decreased in the country. Previously, the Supreme Court had instructed the Ministry of Women and Child Development to submit a status report on the measures taken to implement the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)