Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said that the Rajasthan government has chosen to withdraw the recently enacted marriage registration bill and re-examine it, citing worries that its provisions may encourage child marriages. He further stated that the state administration will ask the governor to return the measure for legal advice.
The BJP and rights activists objected to a clause in the ‘Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021’ that enabled marriages to be registered even if the bride and groom were not of legal age to marry.
Addressing a programme on International Girl Child Day, the CM said: ‘I want to assure you that I will not compromise on that. We will get it re-examined and if we consider it necessary then we will take it forward or else we will not take it forward. We have no problem.’
According to Gehlot, the administration is determined to prevent child marriages in Rajasthan at all costs. He also added that a legal opinion had been obtained previously and the government will pursue it further to ensure that underage weddings do not occur in Rajasthan.
‘The Supreme Court stated that marriage should be registered, be it of anyone. In view of this, a bill was passed in the assembly, but a controversy erupted that this law will encourage child marriage,’ he said.
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The bill was enacted on September 17 in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, despite opposition BJP MLAs walking out in protest. As per the declaration and goal of the amendment law, if the couple has not reached the legal age of marriage, the parents or guardians must submit a memorandum within a certain time frame.
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