The police have arrested a youth on the charge of marrying a minor girl and have booked cases against parents of the arrested as well as the victim.
The accused, Yogish (25), is an autorickshaw driver and a resident of Sharavathi Nagar. Yogish’s marriage was fixed with the 16-year-old girl, a school drop-out from Budha Nagar locality at Seethamma Ananthaiah Kalyana Mandir, on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, Judge Somashekhar Badami, who is also Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, and senior officials of Department of Women and Child Welfare visited the spot and directed the relatives of both the parties to stop the marriage. They had even apprised the parents of the bridegroom and the under-age bride about the evils of child marriage and the punishment it attracted by law.
It is said that, when the officials were counselling the parents, some of the relatives got the marriage solemnised at the venue in a clandestine manner. Ganga Bai, Women and Child Protection Officer, lodged a complaint with the Doddapet police station in this connection. Based on the complaint, the police booked cases under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, against Yogish, his father Pandyan, his mother Kasthuri, and the girl’s parents.
The police are examining the video footage of the wedding ceremony. More arrests are expected. The girl is currently staying with District Child Welfare Committee.
