Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a landmark judgement pertaining to cases of runaway couples seeking security, has declared as "void" the marriage of a girl below 18 and refused protection to the boy, calling him a "fugitive of law".
Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain in his judgement on Friday
also ordered "appropriate action" under the law against those
persons, including the priest who solemnised the marriage,
"who are responsible for the performance of the child marriage
in the present case".
The couple--a 16-year-old girl and a major boy--both
residents of Patran town in Patiala district of Punjab, had
married on October 21 this year at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in
Mohali in Punjab near here against the wishes of the girl`s
family. The marriage was inter-caste.
The father of the girl lodged a complaint with the
Patran police on October 21 alleging that a boy in his
neighbourhood had "enticed away his daughter with the
intention to marry her, in connivance with his mother Jasbir
Kaur and father Lakha Singh".
The couple approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court
six days after the marriage, seeking protection alleging
threats from the parents of the girl.
But Justice Jain in his judgement declared that the
marriage between the two as "void" under the Prohibition of
Child Marriage Act, 2006 which prohibited marriage of a minor.
PTI
