Raising legal age of marriage for women will not benefit aimless, uneducated women, says Nuh District Bar Association President Sajid

Nuh (Haryana) [India], December 23 (ANI): Nuh District Bar Association President Sajid on Wednesday slammed the Centre's decision to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 and said that the law will not benefit the women who are aimless, uneducated or are considered 'burden' by parents if not married off. The aimless and uneducated woman would transgress if they remained unmarried till the age of 21, he added.
He added that this law is only apt for women who have an aim or are educated.
"We are objecting to it. Fine for those girls who are educated and have an aim. But those who have no aim, are uneducated, are considered 'burden' by parents if not married off," Sajid told ANI.
"Girls and boys of this day and age are given a lot of freedom and liberty. The law gives them liberty. There are a lot of chances for girls and boys of young age to deviate. The women who are educated and are aiming for something will control themselves. However, there is a higher chance for a girl who is unmarried, illiterate and has no aims to transgress," he added.
"If it has been accepted that a girl is able to make decisions about herself at the age of 18, then why are you increasing the age of the marriageable age to 21, let it be 18," he stated.
On reports of people rushing weddings in wake of the government introducing a new law to raise the minimum legal age of weddings for women from 18 years to 21 years, he said, "No such incident has come to our notice".
Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on Tuesday introduced The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha.
The Bill seeks to raise the age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years. (ANI)