Haryana: Hurried weddings being conducted in Mewat over anxiety of new marriage law

As government proposed to bring a new reform, putting woman on an equal pedestal as a man in matrimonial domain by raising legal marriage age of women to 21 from 18 earlier, a new trend of hurried marriages being conducted in some areas has come to fore.

Latest reports suggest that families have fast-tracked process to get ir daughters married soon, anticipating that new reform tabled by Centre will become a legal tender soon. As per a report,  villages of Haryana have been hit by a flurry of weddings. report reveals that Muslim-dominated Mewat region, especially Nuh district is witnessing a high demand for grooms who are rey to get married within two days.

Hurried marriages being conducted in Mewat over anxiety of new law

In Nuh region, girls are generally married off at an early age, as it is prevalent amongst most backward districts in country. Hundreds of weddings of girls aged 18 to 20 took place across region over weekend, with parents hurrying to complete ir "duty" while it was still legal. 

Imams are flooded with requests to find suitable grooms for girls in region and y say that y pronounce such requests during Azaan. report also suggests that since government’s announcement on Thursday, re has been an increase in court weddings. According to two local lawyers, number of inter-caste couples seeking judicial marriage in Gurugram increased fourfold over weekend.

However, contrastingly, Nuh girls h participated actively in a campaign requesting that marriageable age be raised. “y wanted registration of such marriages to be halted until law is approved because y were seeing parents hurrying ir daughters into marriage," said Sunil Jaglan, who spearheed Haryana campaign to raise marriageable age.

Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, Smriti Irani on Tuesday tabled  Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha, calling it a 'historic step'. 

Centre clears proposal for raising marriage age for women

Union Cabinet on December 15 cleared a proposal that would increase minimum marriage age for women from 18 to 21 years, same as that of men. proposal was framed on basis of recommendations me by a task force set up by Ministry of Women and Child Development. 

Heed by Jaya Jaitley, task force me extensive recommendations based on consultations from experts, young ults, young women, and ors whom decision affects directly. development comes over a year after plan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day dress in 2020. 

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