Girl child marriage rate highest among SC/ST: NCPCR
New Delhi, Sep 13 : The prevalence of child marriage in India is the highest amongst Scheduled Tribe girls (15 per cent) followed by Scheduled Castes (13 per cent), according to a report released by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The report which was released on the NCPCR website on Wednesday, is based on a comparative analysis of data on child marriage in the 15-19 age group from the third and fourth rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) conducted in 2005-2006 and 2015-16. The report has been prepared by Young Lives India, a research centre, in collaboration with the NCPCR.
According to the report, this phenomenon is evident among the top 10 states with the highest prevalence of child marriage.
West Bengal has the highest rate of child marriage amongst SC girls, while in Arunachal Pradesh it is highest among Scheduled Tribes. In other castes, Maharashtra has the highest percentage of girl child marriage.
Furthermore, Bihar, Gujarat and Telangana report very high prevalence of child marriages amongst OBC girls below the age of 18.
However, according to the report, a comparative analysis of child marriage for 15-19 year old girls as reported in NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4 (2015-16) reveals that the overall prevalence of child marriage has reduced to a large extent in the last 10 years in a large number of states.
Substantial reduction of child marriage (more than 20 percentage points) is observed in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the age group of 15-19.
The findings also reveal that prevalence of girl child marriage in the age-group 15-19 years is significant in rural areas as well as certain states and UTs which have large pockets of child marriage within urban areas such as Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Manipur.
According to the release, some factors like economic status and women's educational level are associated with child marriage. It is observed that child marriage is more prevalent amongst women from bottom wealth tercile households.
In 13 states and one UT, more than 40 per cent of the child marriages took place amongst the bottom wealth tercile households.
The findings also show that completion rate of secondary schooling is considerably higher amongst unmarried girls aged 15-19 years in almost all states.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Allahabad HC denies relief to Rahul Gandhi in Savarkar remarks case
Lucknow (UP), Apr 4 (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has refused to grant any relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case concerning alleged derogatory remarks made against freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The defamation case stems from Gandhi's comments on Savarkar made on November 17, 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra at a rally in Maharashtra's Akola district.
The court on Friday ruled that Gandhi can file a revision petition before the sessions court, making the high court's intervention unnecessary at this stage.
Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the single bench issued the order.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had challenged a lower court's decision to summon him in the case, also contesting the ongoing proceedings against him.
Gandhi's lawyer, Pranshu Agarwal, argued that the allegations in the complaint did not constitute offences under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He also contended that the lower court had disregarded Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which pertains to prosecution for offences against the State.
However, Justice Vidyarthi, without commenting on the merits of the case, stated that Gandhi has the option to file a revision petition before the sessions court. The high court declined to provide immediate relief to Gandhi.
Advocate Nripendra Pandey filed a complaint, accusing Gandhi of intentionally insulting Savarkar during the rally.
The complainant alleged Gandhi's remarks were part of a well-planned conspiracy to defame Savarkar. He noted that the comments were broadcast widely across the media.
The case is being heard in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate here. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled on April 14.
