Kasargod: A court-directed police probe has been initiated into an alleged child marriage in Thrikkaripur, Kasaragod, with four persons, including the groom and a local elected representative, booked under relevant laws.
According to the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, Hosdurg, the Chandera Police registered the case following a report by the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer, who found prima facie evidence that a 16-year-old girl was married to a 28-year-old expatriate on April 13 at a local Juma Masjid in Kasaragod district.
Those booked include the ‘groom’, a 28-year-old native of Padanna currently employed in South Korea; the girl’s father, who is alleged to have officiated at the ceremony; a local body member; and the mosque’s secretary.
Police said the case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
The inquiry was initiated after Childline received information about the incident, and the findings were submitted before the court, which subsequently directed the police to proceed with legal action.
Meanwhile, relatives of the girl and the groom have denied that a marriage took place, maintaining that the event was only an engagement ceremony.
Meanwhile, the police are proceeding with the probe to collect documentary and digital evidence, including visuals from the function, to establish the nature of the event.
Separately, another person has submitted a complaint to the Chief Secretary seeking a comprehensive probe by a higher-level police team.
Authorities indicated that the groom is believed to have returned to South Korea, but officials said further action would be taken in accordance with the law.
Officials noted that child marriage is a punishable offence under Indian law and that the ongoing investigation will focus on establishing facts based on verifiable evidence.
This incident has come at a time when the Kerala Government and the Madhya Pradesh Government are engaged in a legal tangle before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in New Delhi, firmly defending the legality of the marriage involving the viral ‘Kumbh Mela girl’.
While Kerala Police maintain that there has been no procedural lapse and that the marriage is legally valid, asserting that the girl had attained 18 years at the time of the wedding held on March 11 at a temple in Poovar, Thiruvananthapuram, the Madhya Pradesh Police and the girl’s family say that she is a minor.
(IANS)
