District admn steps in to prevent minor girl's wedding

A timely intervention by alert administration and police stopped the marriage of an underage girl, who was supposed to tie the knot in a mass marriage ceremony in Devguradia area of the city today, police said.
"A team of officials from the Women and Child Development Department swung into action with the help of police on a tip-off and prevented marriage of the 16-year-old girl, planned by her parents on the occasion of Basant Panchami," Project Officer Jay Shrivastava told PTI.
He said parents of the minor girl could not produce even a single document to back their claim that she was 18-year-old, the minimum legal age for girls to get married.

When the team verified her mark-sheet after contacting her school, it was established that she was 16-year-old.
"The marriage, which was to take place illegally, was immediately stopped and the marriage party was given a warning. The girl's father submitted a written undertaking promising to marry his daughter off only after she turns 18," Shrivastava said.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 prescribes two-year rigorous imprisonment for the accused or Rs. One lakh penalty or both.