- Directives were issued ahead of the Akshay Tritiya festival which sees a significant number of child marriages in the State.
- The court said that village heads and panchayat members will be held accountable if child marriages are solemnised.
- Under Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Rules 1996, sarpanch is duty bound to restrict child marriages.
- About child marriages
- Child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a child under 18 and an adult or another child (UNICEF).
- Girls are disproportionately affected by the practice.
- In India, under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 minimum age for marriage is 18 years for women and 21 years for Men.
- Section 16 empowers the State Government to appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPO) either for the entire state or specific regions.
- CMPOs are mandated to create awareness about the detrimental effects of child marriages
- Reasons for Child Marriages: Gender inequality, social and religious norms, poverty, lack of education, control over sexuality of women, etc.
- Current status: Percentage of women aged 20–24 years married before 18 years of age reduced from 47.4% in 2005-06 to 23.3% in 2019-21 (NFHS).