Delhi, 8 June: With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a bill that aimed to bring uniformity in the age of marriage for men and women has lapsed. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and was referred to the standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports.
The bill, which sought to increase the minimum age of marriage for females to 21 years, would have overridden any other law, custom, or practice. However, with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, the bill has now lapsed according to former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P D T Acharya. This means that the proposed amendments to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will not be able to go through unless they are reintroduced in the next Lok Sabha.
This dissolution comes after the members of the 18th Lok Sabha were elected in the general elections, halting any progress on pending bills like this one. The amendment would have also allowed individuals who were married below the minimum age to apply for annulment within five years of attaining majority, instead of the current two-year limit. It is a missed opportunity to bring about progressive change and protect young girls from being forced into child marriages.
