Mysuru District Administration cracks the whip on rampant child marriages; Call Helpline 1098 or 112

Mysore/Mysuru: In a decisive move to curb the rising instances of child marriage in Mysuru district, the Deputy Commissioner — who also serves as the Chairman of the District Child Protection Unit — has issued stringent guidelines mandating age verification before any marriage-related service is provided.

From wedding halls and printing presses to photographers and religious institutions, all entities involved in wedding arrangements must now obtain valid proof of age for both the bride and groom before accepting any booking, placing any order or conducting any rituals.

Violators will face prosecution under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA), which was amended in 2016 and came into effect in 2017.

The DC’s recent directive strictly enforces legal minimum age for marriage — 21 years for groom and 18 years for bride — with no room for even a day’s deviation. Any individual or institution found violating the directive may face imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to Rs. 1 lakh or both. Additionally, licences and permits of non-compliant entities may be revoked.

Entities now legally obligated to follow these measures include wedding halls (Kalyana Mantapas), party halls, community centres, choultries, shamiana suppliers, printing presses, photographers, videographers and religious venues such as temples, mosques and churches.

Proprietors, Managers, Priests, Moulvis, Pastors and heads of these venues must verify and retain valid documentation confirming the couple’s age before proceeding.

Documents for age verification

Acceptable documents for age verification include: Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, School records such as the Admission Certificate, Transfer Certificate (TC) or SSLC Marks Card.

In the absence of these, an Age Determination Certificate issued by a certified surgeon from the District Hospital. Importantly, Aadhaar cards will not be accepted as valid proof of age.

In the year 2024-2025 alone, authorities in Mysuru successfully prevented 224 attempted child marriages. Offenders in another 60 cases have been booked. The taluks of Hunsur, K.R. Nagar, H.D. Kote, Periyapatna and Saragur recorded the highest number of such incidents.

To further raise awareness, all relevant institutions are required to prominently display anti-child marriage notices on their premises and submit photographic evidence of the displayed signage to the District Child Protection Unit as part of mandatory compliance.

Criminal prosecution

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Women and Child Development Department Deputy Director Basavaraju said that teams of officials and volunteers are distributing handbills in villages and through Anganwadi centres, highlighting the ill-effects of child marriage.

“We are maintaining strict vigil over such activities, which tend to spike during festive occasions. No leniency will be shown to those abetting or turning a blind eye to child marriage. Institutions that fail to comply with these directives risk not only legal action but also the loss of their operating licences,” he added.

In addition to the penalties for those solemnising or facilitating child marriages, adult males marrying underage girls, as well as parents or guardians who support or ignore such marriages, will also face criminal prosecution.