Allahabad High Court upholds uniform legal marriage age, says Shariat cannot override PCMA
The Allahabad High Court ruled that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) applies to all citizens regardless of religion, stating that personal law cannot override statutory age requirements. The judgment emphasizes that the age of marriage is a secular legal standard and aligns with the POCSO Act.
Why it matters
This ruling clarifies the legal hierarchy between personal religious laws and secular statutes regarding child protection and marriage age in India.
The Allahabad High Court has held that the minimum age of marriage prescribed under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, applies to all citizens irrespective of religion, observing that the Muslim personal law principle recognising puberty as the age of marriage cannot override the provisions of the Central law.
The article provides a balanced summary of the court's legal reasoning and the petitioners' arguments.
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