[One'd guess that a child marriage is legally invalid and, therefore, does not call for annulment. Legal and administrative action must be taken as the concerned Panachayat and the "in-laws" for intimidation and coercion.]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Brave-Rajasthan-teenager-to-file-petition-to-annul-child-marriage/articleshow/47257766.cms Brave Rajasthan teenager to file petition to annul child marriage Ajay Parmar,TNN | May 13, 2015, 05.05 AM IST JODHPUR: A brave Rajasthan teenager who rejected the marriage conducted by her parents when she was just 11 months old, and was slapped a penalty of Rs 16 lakh by a panchayat for standing up to her parents and patriarchy, is now set to move court for legal termination of her childhood marriage. Santadevi Meghwal, 19, said she would file a petition on Wednesday in the family court for the annulment, a requirement because of an anomaly in the law. While child marriage is prohibited in the country, it is not void, and has to be dissolved, should either partner or both wish to dissolve it. "I do not want to have anything to do with the child marriage," Meghwal told reporters. "I don't even remember I had a child marriage. Now that I know, I want it annulled. The community has boycotted my family and my so-called in-laws are threatening to forcibly take me away." Meghwals live in Rohicha Khurd village in Luni tahsil, 70km from Jodhpur. They got Santadevi married even before her first birthday with a nine-year-old boy. Santadevi learned about her marriage when she turned 16, and has been protesting against it ever since. "When I renounced this marriage, my so-called husband Sanwalaram started stalking me and threatening to take me away forcibly," Santadevi said. "At first, I was scared as my parents were not with me. But, the more pressure they put, the more determined I got to break free," she told TOI. Santadevi now lives in Jodhpur and is pursuing her graduation at Jai Narayan Vyas University. "I am not in contact with those people. I want to study and become a teacher," she said. Her father Padmaram, a mason, now sees reason, and is standing by his daughter. "The panchayat has threatened me to either send my daughter to her 'in-laws' or face penalty. I am ready to face the opposition of my community for the good of my daughter," he told TOI. Kriti Bharti of Sarthi Trust, which is helping Santadevi's seeking annulment, said attempts to counsel Sanwalaram have failed. "We're going to move to court for annulment on Wednesday," Bharti said. The Women and Child Welfare department has sought details and offered Meghwals legal help. Rajasthan health minister Rajendra Singh Rathore said the administration has been told to act against the panchayat. "We've asked officials to probe the matter and take harsh action against panchayat members if they're found guilty," said Rathore. Home minister Gulab Chand Katariya pledged government's assistance if Meghwals file a police case. Attempts to get a comment from Sanwalaram or his family members failed. Padmaram is preparing to file a complaint against the panchayat for harassment and abetment of child marriage. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
