Panch-Sarpanch will be responsible if child marriage takes place in Rajasthan, High Court gives big order to the government

Ahead of Akshaya Tritiya in Rajasthan, the High Court has directed the state government to ensure that no child marriage takes place in the state. Along with this, the court said that Sarpanch and Panch will be held responsible if child marriage takes place. Many incidents of child marriage occur mainly on Akshaya Tritiya. Akshaya Tritiya is this time on 10th May.

High Court made this comment

Hearing a PIL seeking intervention to stop child marriage, a division bench of the High Court on Wednesday said in its order that despite the enactment of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, child marriages are still taking place in the state. The court said that although the number of child marriages has reduced due to the efforts of the authorities, a lot still needs to be done.

The division bench asked the government to keep a close watch on the matter

RP Singh, counsel for the petitioners, said a list was also provided to the court containing details of child marriages and their scheduled dates. The division bench said that as per Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Rules 1996, the duty of prohibiting child marriage has been cast on the Sarpanch. Thus, as an interim measure, we would direct the State to seek a report regarding the investigation conducted to prevent child marriage in the State and also keep a close eye on the list which is annexed to the PIL .

Sarpanch and Panch will be held responsible

“The respondents should also ensure that no child marriage takes place in the state,” the order said. Sarpanch and Panch should be sensitized and informed that if they fail to prevent child marriage, they will be held responsible under Section 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.