BENGALURU: Taking serious note of a recent order of the Karnataka High Court exempting wedding hall owners from punishment in child marriage cases, child rights activist and convenor of the Karnataka Child Rights Observatory, Vasudev Sharma, has written to Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar seeking corrective action.
Sharma urged the minister to sensitise and guide public prosecutors on the impact of child marriage so that they effectively present the case before the court and seek withdrawal of the order to prevent such incidents in future.
“Recently, the Karnataka High Court directed that owners of kalyana mantaps (wedding halls) where child marriages took place should be exempted from punishment and ordered that cases registered against them be quashed,” Sharma said.
He added that the order could set a precedent for priests, clerics, photographers and others present at child marriages to seek exemption from liability. “There is a possibility that courts may pardon such persons. In such instances, the Child Marriage Prohibition Act will weaken, leading to an increase in child marriages across the state,” he said.
Sharma warned that a rise in child marriages could result in girls dropping out of school, poor maternal and infant health, and failure to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
In his letter, Sharma urged the minister to ensure that public prosecutors are adequately trained and equipped to argue the government’s position effectively and to take steps to challenge the High Court order in order to curb child marriage.