Home / Crime and Justice / Couple Fined Rs 50,000 for Forcing Nieces into Child Marriage
Couple Fined Rs 50,000 for Forcing Nieces into Child Marriage
6 Mar
Summary
- Couple convicted for forcing nieces into child marriage.
- Court ordered Rs 50,000 compensation to the girls.
- Couple spared jail time, received a rebuke instead.
In Ahmedabad, a city sessions court convicted a couple for orchestrating child marriages for their two nieces. The court mandated a Rs 50,000 compensation payment to the young victims for the hardship endured.
The couple, who were the paternal aunt and uncle of the girls, arranged the marriages in 2020 after the nieces' parents had passed away. The younger niece was only 14 at the time of her marriage to a 17-year-old boy.
Authorities were alerted by a child rights activist, leading to an FIR filed at the Mahila police station. Initially, nine individuals, including the couple, the grooms, and their parents, faced charges under various acts like Pocso and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
However, the special Pocso court acquitted most of the accused of Pocso and IPC charges due to insufficient evidence, granting them the benefit of doubt. The aunt and uncle were found guilty specifically under Section 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
Despite the conviction, the court applied the Probation of Offenders Act. Instead of imprisonment, the couple received a stern rebuke and the financial penalty for the victims, aiming to deter future offenses.
Additionally, the court ordered the government to provide Rs 1 lakh compensation to each of the victim girls.
