The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has decided to request the Supreme Court to move against the recent issue of child marriages in Assam.
Guwahati High Court senior advocate and committee member, Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, said that the decision was taken at a board meeting in Lucknow on Sunday.
He said, “I raised the issue and there was a detailed discussion on this.”
A case related to the minimum age of Muslim girls getting married is pending before the Supreme Court.
Choudhury said, “According to Muslim personal law, a girl belonging to the Muslim community can get married after she attains the age of 15. The High Court of Punjab and Haryana in a verdict said that a Muslim girl can marry a man of her choice once she is 15 years old. These types of marriages are not illegal even as per the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.”
Nevertheless, the judgment of the High Court was challenged in the Apex Court by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The senior advocate said that the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board would request to become a party in the above case.
“Although this case is not connected with Assam, both matters are related to the fixing of the minimum age of females for getting married. Therefore, we would like to be a party to it,” he further added.
Moreover, Choudhury have also reported that the Assam Government has not abided by the laws while arresting people on the Child marriage issue.
He said, “Child marriage must be stopped, but before taking any such actions, the government should first spread awareness against it.”
It is to be mentioned that in the drive against the child marriage issue in the state, till last week the police has arrested as many as 2,258 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who conducted such weddings.
