Journalism of Courage
An offence has been lodged against the husband, parents, father-in-law and mother-in-law of an 18-year-old woman, who recently delivered a baby at the Sassoon General Hospital, for allegedly getting her married when she was a minor.
The doctors who treated her came to know that she got married in August 2021, when she was still a minor.
They lodged a complaint with the Pune City Police, based on which an FIR was registered against the woman’s parents, husband and in-laws under sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police Sub-Inspector Vaibhav More of the Loni Kalbhor police station, the investigation officer, said, “Probe is on but no arrest has been made yet. It is known that the woman who delivered the baby turned 18 in February this year. She was a minor when she got married.”
A similar case of child marriage was registered at the Chakan police station of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police last month.
This FIR was lodged after receiving communication from a state-run hospital, whose authorities told the police that they were treating a 17-year-old married girl who was three months pregnant.
Police conducted a preliminary probe and then booked the girl’s husband and father. The accused were also booked under sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and POCSO Act.
