A family court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has declared a child marriage invalid and granted divorce to a young woman who was married at the age of 12 in 2016.
According to the case details, the marriage took place during a community ritual known as “Mouser”, followed by some families in the Bishnoi community after a death in the family, where multiple children within related families are married.
The woman told the court that the marriage was conducted under pressure due to parental and social circumstances. After she grew older, she faced continued pressure from her parents and her in-laws to live with her husband, prompting her to seek legal relief.
With support from the Sarathi Social Foundation in Jodhpur, she approached the family court. The court examined the parents, in-laws and other parties, and reviewed documents related to her age at the time of marriage.
In its order delivered after proceedings that ran for about one-and-a-half years, the judge noted that child marriage disrupts children’s present and future and requires collective social efforts to eradicate it. Considering the woman’s future, the court declared the marriage invalid. Following the verdict, she is preparing to continue the schooling she had discontinued after Class 7 through open schooling.
