An incident of child marriage in Barmer district brought in the seriousness about the matter. Rajasthan High Court’s Jodhpur bench rolled out notices to the state government, khap panchayat and the investigating officer of the sheo police station.
Gemaram of Gunga village filed a petition under Sheo police station in Barmer. A division of justices Gopal Krishna Vyas and G R Moolchandani is seeking a reply from authorities on the incident in which a khap panchayat was imposing an order on minor for child marriage. After marriage, the bride was to live with groom while remaining a minor.
The decision as taken against the consent of the girl and her in fact her father. His father Gemaram is a widower and a single father.
Manaram Gard, the Sheo police station in charge and Dhana Puri, the investigator officer explained the whole incident. The daughter of Gemaram was given to child marriage in the village.
During January month of 2016, she was asked to live at her husband’s home by her relatives. This is the part of ‘gauna’ ceremony where she was sent even if it was opposed by the girl and her father.
The dispute was followed and heard by khap panchayat. Acting as a law follower, they not only imposed a fine of Rs. 25 lakh on Gemaram but also boycotted the family from the society.
Sheo police station received the complaint and urged for a compromise from both the parties. Gemaram faced huge steady violent behaviour from his relatives and even khap panchayat and in the end he filed a petition at the high court.
SP Gaurav Yadav from Jaisalmer faced the similar situation and took prompt measures to stop child marriage in Dangri village.
Police reached at the right time when the marriage preparations of Peparam’s daughter were going on. The girl was below 18 and thus SDM stopped the marriage and sent the “baraat’ back.
