Patna, 10 July:In a significant legal intervention aimed at tackling child marriage and adolescent pregnancy in Bihar, the Gender Resource Centre (GRC) of Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), in collaboration with a non- governmental organisation (NGO), has approached the Patna High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking stricter implementation of laws and judicial safeguards.
The PIL urges authorities to ensure effective enforcement of existing legal provisions against child marriage, while also implementing the Supreme Court’s 2024 directives issued in the Society for Enlightenment and Voluntary Action vs. Union of India case. The landmark judgment laid down a comprehensive framework for preventing child marriages and strengthening institutional mechanisms to protect children.
The petition has been jointly filed by Ayushi Dube, Director of the Gender Resource Centre at CNLU, and Shaswat, co-founder of the partnering NGO. It argues that despite several government welfare schemes and policy interventions, Bihar continues to report one of the highest incidences of child marriage in the country.
According to the petition, the recently released National Family Health Survey (NFHS-VI) reveals that 34.6% of women aged 20–24 in Bihar were married before the age of 18. While the figure marks an improvement from 40.8% recorded in NFHS-5, it remains significantly higher than the national average, underscoring the persistent challenge of child marriage in the state.
The petitioners have sought stronger institutional accountability, improved coordination among government departments, enhanced monitoring mechanisms, and effective implementation of legal protections to safeguard children’s rights and prevent early marriages.
The matter came up before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai and Justice Soni Shrivastava. During the hearing, Advocate General Satya Darshi Sanjay requested additional time to obtain instructions from the Bihar government. Accepting the request, the High Court scheduled the next hearing for August 19.
The case is expected to play an important role in examining Bihar’s implementation of child protection laws and the state’s compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives aimed at eliminating child marriage and improving adolescent welfare.
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