Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the provision banning marriage of boys below 21 and girls below 18 has not been eased in the Child Marriage Restraint Act-2017.
“The act clearly states that a boy below 21 and a girl below 18 cannot marry. This is the main gist of that act. But marriage of such boys and girls can take place only in special circumstances when it becomes necessary with the consent of the court and the guardians. It does not mean that we have eased the said provision,” Huq said.
The minister came up with the observations while talking to newsmen after inaugurating 135th Refreshers’ Course for additional district and sessions judges at Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI) in the city.
Terming the ongoing debate over the act ‘meaningless,’ the law minister said this provision is for the welfare of the people and it was formulated in a way that it can be complied by all.
“The measures that are followed in western countries in any emergency are not acceptable in any religion in our country. So, we have kept an alternative to address such crises,” he added.
Presided over by JATI Director General Justice Khondker Musa Khaled, the inaugural function was also addressed by Law Secretary Abu Saleh Sk Md Zahirul Haque.
