Rajasthan govt to recall marriage registration Bill and re-examine

Rajasthan government has decided to recall the recently passed ‘Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021’ and get it re-examined after objections were raised by the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and social activists.

Governor Kalraj Mishra already put the bill on hold last week for further legal examination which had provision of mandatory registration of all marriages.

“The Bill has been brought in the spirit of an order of the Supreme Court regarding compulsory registration of marriages. But misconception has been created regarding child marriage, then we will request the Governor to return the bill to the government,” said chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

Addressing a state-level function on the occasion of International Girl Child Day, Gehlot said the controversy is going over the marriage registration bill passed in the state assembly. The Supreme Court stated that every marriage should be registered. In view of this, a law was passed in the assembly.

“But controversy erupted that this law would encourage child marriage. We have decided that this is not a matter of prestige for us. We will get it examined again by the law department and urge the governor to resend the law passed,” he said.

Recently, the Rajasthan assembly passed a Bill to amend the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2009, providing a mechanism for the registration of all marriages in the state, irrespective of the age of the bride and groom. The contentious amendment, which is yet to be notified, states that “if the bride is under 18 and the groom is under 21”, the parents or guardians must submit a memorandum for registration of marriage within 30 days from the date of marriage.

Social activists and civil society members argued the new provision was retrograde because it effectively legalised child marriage.

Commenting on the government’s decision, Kriti Bhati of Saarthi, an NGO working against child marriages in Rajasthan, said, “The CM had decided to recall the bill and I hope that the government will cancel it. This is a half victory for all those who have considered this Bill as a violation of the rights of children and women.”