After almost a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Independence Day address of 2020, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a proposal to increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, the same as men.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the Government will introduce an amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and consequently bring amendments to the Special Marriage Act and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
A NITI Aayog task force headed by Jaya Jaitly had backed the proposal. The recommendations on the proposal were submitted in December as the task force stressed a woman must be at least 21 years old at the time of first pregnancy. Presently, the minimum age of marriage for men is 21 but for women, it is 18.
