District Social Welfare and Social Defence officials on Tuesday stopped two child marriages by getting an injunction order from a judicial magistrate. This is the second and third child marriages stopped in a week in the district under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006.
Both marriages were scheduled to be held on Thursday. The marriage of a minor girl of Koththamangalam was to be held at Ponnamaravathi near Karaikudi in the house of a 36-year-old bridegroom. The marriage of another girl, 5 months short of turning a major, was to be held at her house in Keezha Semponmari.
N. Sivakumar, Probation Officer, Social Defence, told The Hindu that as soon as officials received information about child marriages, a team swung into action and collected the marriage invitations and birth certificates of both the children through various sources and schools, where they were studying. The matter was brought to the notice of Judicial Magistrate, Karaikudi, Hemanth Kumar, who granted the injunction.
