Bengaluru: There are several instances where marriages were canceled because girl was not 18 years old. But here is a rare incident where the marriage became illegal because the boy is not above 21 years. Eventually, the minor groom's sister and her friend were arrested by the police on the charge of child marriage and later released on bail from police station.
The boy was working as a cab driver who lived in Nilasandra. The young woman also lived in the same locality. They are in love for the last few years and decided to marry each other. A minor who waited until the young woman turned 18, ran away to Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu on Nov 4 and solemnized their marriage against family wish.
The parents had complained to the police about the missing of the young woman and informed about the young man. After registering a case and investigating, the police found the two persons in Tiruvallur on December 23 and brought them to the city.
During police investigation they kept saying marriage with the consent of the young woman as per the law. The young lady also supported her lover's statement. They also claimed that they are not minor so law permits them to get married. To substantiate their marriage they submitted Aadhar card. By seeing the Aadhar card, police were surprised because the girl was 18 years old but the boy was only 20 years and 6 months old.
According to law, a boy must be 21 years of age for marriage. Therefore, the marriage between the two is not legally recognized. The boy's elder sister and friend have been arrested under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act and released on police station bail, police said.
