New Delhi: Following a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a plan to increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years is under review, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday has finally passed the proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21 years — the same as men, said a report.
According to a report by The Indian Express, after the Cabinet approved the proposal, the government at the Centre is also eyeing to introduce an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and therefore bring amendments to the Special Marriage Act and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had voiced the government’s purpose to raise the age of a girl for marriage. He has expressed the government’s intentions during his speech at Red Fort.
The minimum age limit for the marriage of girls may soon be increased from 18 to 21 years. To make this proposal active, the government has already started preparations.
Child marriage law will be amended to raise the age of marriage. Currently, the age limit for the marriage of girls has been settled at 18 years under the law.
Last year, a task force was constituted under the chairmanship of former MP Jaya Jaitley to look after this proposal. The report presented by the task force had recommended that the minimum age of marriage for girls should be raised to 21 years. The task force had also suggested the age limitation of becoming a mother and other women-related issues.
