Supreme Court's Mandate: Eradicating the Social Evil of Child Marriages

The Supreme Court has issued comprehensive directions to eradicate child marriages, terming it a social evil and a criminal offense. The court emphasized the need for specialized enforcement officers and intersectional approaches to address root causes like poverty and gender inequality.

The Supreme Court has described child marriages as a 'sobering social evil' and issued a series of directives to the central and state governments for combating the issue. The detailed 141-page judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, alongside Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The court pointed out that child marriage constitutes a criminal offense and highlighted the challenges posed by conflicting interpretations of personal laws and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amending) Bill 2021 remains pending in Parliament, aiming to clarify the law's supremacy over personal laws.

The court called for the appointment of dedicated Child Marriage Prohibition Officers at the district level and the creation of specialized police units. It emphasized the need for an intersectional approach that considers factors increasing early marriage risks, and urged awareness and preventive strategies addressing poverty and gender inequality.

(With inputs from agencies.)