Teacher held for marrying 14-year-old girl

Dharmapuri (TN), Jan 3: A 37-year-old school teacher was today arrested here on the charge of marrying a minor girl, police said.

Police said N Arumugam of Mulluvadi, 32 km from here, was already married and had married the 14-year-old girl, a relative's grand-daughter at Arakkasanahalli, his native village, in November last. He used to conduct private tuition for the girl, studying in the tenth standard, and reportedly expressed his desire to marry the girl to his relative, a 60-year-old woman, police said.

Police registered a case under provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and arrested Arumugam who has been lodged in the Salem central jail after being produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court and remanded in judicial custody.

The 60-year-old woman is absconding. The minor girl, who was also produced in the court, has been lodged in a government home, police said.

PTI