Cabinet raises minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, sources said.

A 10-member panel was formed by the Centre headed by Jaya Jaitley to recommend among other things whether the legal age of marriage for women could be increased from 18 years.

The other members in the panel include Dr V K Paul, Member (Health) Niti Aayog, the Secretaries of Higher Education, School Education, Health, Women and Child Development, Legislative Department apart from academics Najma Akhtar, Vasudha Kamat and Dipti Shah.

The proposal was cleared by the Cabinet on Wednesday.

The panel recommended increasing marriage age for girls from 18 to 21. The report said evidence shows delay in marriage has positive economic, social and health effects for families, women, children and the society at large.

The move will now require the government to amend laws. Sources said a Bill for the amendment might be brought in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament but there is no official confirmation.

The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, set 18 and 21 years as the minimum age for the bride and the groom respectively.

Muslim personal law allows marriage if the boy and the girl have attained puberty, which is presumed once they are both 15 years of age.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in August 2020 announced that a committee was looking into the minimum age of marriage for women. (UNI)