Parliamentary panel receives 90,000 'orchestrated emails' on Bill seeking increase in marital age for girls

By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India], April 13 (ANI): The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports examining The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill held its first meeting on Wednesday.
The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session.
Just six members attended the meeting of the committee chaired by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe on Wednesday out of a membership strength of 31.
Sources said that the committee expressed its concern over the public recommendation regarding the Bill. Interestingly, the panel received close to 95,000 emails and out of these, 90,000 emails were opposing the Bill.
Notably, the content on these emails was similarly drafted. The committee would like to examine it in the coming days, sources said.
In its first meeting, the panel studied a portion of the Jaya Jaitley committee report and why this bill was important in the present day and age. The committee is likely to hold another couple of meetings to get into details of the Jaitley report. Further, the committee will also hold discussions with various stakeholders including women activists and NGOs amongst others.
The committee recently was given an extension by another three months since the period between the winter and budget session was occupied examining the Demand for Grants. The panel will now need to submit its report by June 24. 2022.
'The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021' proposes to amend 'The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA)' for making the age of marriage 21 years for both males and females, which is presently 21 years for males and 18 years for females and consequential amendments in laws relating to the age of marriage that is 'the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872'; 'the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936'; 'the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937'; 'the Special Marriage Act, 1954'; 'the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955'; and 'the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969'. Also the laws namely 'the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956'; and 'Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956' pertain to this context.
The Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy (particularly the Right to Equality and Right against Exploitation) under the Constitution of India guarantee gender equality. The proposed legislation is a strong measure towards the commitment of the Government for the same as it will bring women on equal footing with males.
There are imperatives for lowering the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and improvements of nutrition levels as well as increase in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB). These are the main reasons for effecting the proposed legislation. (ANI)