Rajasthan HC makes village heads 'accountable' for child marriages

By Jitendra Parmar*
Ahead of Akshaya Tritiya (May 10), the Rajasthan High Court has taken a bold stand against child marriages, making panches and sarpanches accountable if they fail to prevent child marriages, even as asking child marriage prohibition officers (CMPOs) to report about child marriages held and their efforts taken to prevent them. The High Court order follows a PIL filed by the Just Rights For Children Alliance.
Terming the current state of child marriages in the state as alarming, the High Court in its urgent order directed the state government to ensure that no child marriages occur in Rajasthan during the upcoming Akshaya Tritiya, and made panches and sarpanches (village heads) accountable if they fail to prevent these.
The order comes following a PIL filed by Just Rights For Children Alliance which sought urgent intervention so that child marriages could be stopped from being solemnized during the auspicious festival of Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej falling on May 10 this year.
The division bench comprising Justices Shubha Mehta and Pankaj Bhandari also directed the authorities to keep an ‘hawk’s eye’ on a masked list provided by the petitioners which lists 54 child marriages which have been/ will be held on Akha Teej. While 46 of the child marriages are yet to take place, remaining have already been solemnized.
“A report should be called from the CMPOs with regard to child marriages which had taken place in his jurisdiction and the efforts taken by him in preventing the same,” the order said. It also ordered that the state government should ensure that the scheduled marriage of the 46 children from the list should not take place.

While the division bench noted that the efforts of state authorities have been instrumental in bringing down the number of child marriages in the state, still a lot required to be done. As per the National Health Family Survey V (2019-21), 25.4 percent of women in the age group 20-24 years were married before 18 in Rajasthan while the same stands at 23.3 percent at national level.
Bhuwan Ribhu, founder, Just Rights for Children Alliance said:

“Child marriage is the most pervasive and heinous crime that is socially acceptable in our community. It is a landmark step by the Rajasthan High Court that affixes responsibility of reporting such marriages on the panches and sarpanches, and it is only with their participation and understanding that action against this crime will lead to behaviour change for the protection of children. The way India has been taking steps to end child marriage is a lesson for the entire world, and Rajasthan High Court’s order is yet another significant stride in this direction.”
The Just Rights for Children Alliance is a nationwide coalition of 120 NGOs working on child protection issues such as child sexual abuse, child marriage and child trafficking.
The order comes at a crucial time as the incidents of child marriages see a sharp spike during Akshaya Tritiya and the government agencies as well as NGOs working at grassroots levels have been campaigning to prevent such marriages from being held.
---
*With Bachpan Bachao Andolan

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Search This Blog