FIR after official alleges child marriage; cops mull POCSO case

The FIR has accused the parents of the bride, her then 25-year-old husband as well as his parents and guests at the wedding of being “party” to the crime. It alleged that the assistant social security officer of Vadodara district had conducted a probe and recorded statements of the accused and witnesses between April 3 and 5, 2023, concluding that the case was “indeed of violation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006”.

“At the time the marriage occurred, the victim was aged 17 years and two months – based on the school leaving certificate that proved her birthday as July 23, 2005 – whereas the groom was aged 25, as per his birth date of June 14, 1997,” the FIR stated.

It added that the parents of the girl as well as the groom and those who participated in the marriage, knowing that the bride was under 18 years of age, violated the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and should be prosecuted accordingly.

Inspector L B Tadvi of Padra police station said, “The FIR has been registered based on the instructions of the district social security officer… In cases involving child marriage, the FIR is lodged only as per the sections listed by the officer. We will soon formally arrest the parents and the groom and proceed as per law.”

Tadvi added that although the victim is a minor, as she turns 18 on July 23, the police will lodge a separate case against the husband under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act if instructed to do so by the social security department.