Married at one, woman gets marriage annulled at 21

Jaipur, Sep 09: A family court annulled the marriage of a 21-year-old woman, who was married off at the age of one and pressured for its consummation.

Refusing to buckle under pressure, she approached an NGO, after which they moved the family court.

Saarthi Trust's Managing Trustee Kirti Bharti said Rekha was married off at the age of one to a boy of her village after the demise of her grandfather.

"Her in-laws pressured her for 'gauna' (a ritual associated with the consummation of marriage) a few years ago. She was preparing to become an ANM then and did not want her dream to be shattered. So, she refused to accept this marriage," said Ms Bharti, news agency PTI reported.

Unwilling to give in, her in-laws arranged a caste panchayat and threatened her family with a cash penalty of ₹ 10 lakh.

On Thursday, the presiding officer of the family court, Pradeep Kumar Modi, ordered the annulment of the marriage.

"Since a century, the evil of child marriage has not been eradicated. Now, everyone should together take a pledge to eradicate child marriage," he said in his order.

Ecstatic after the order by the court, Rekha said it was a dream come true and added that now she will focus on becoming an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM).

"Today is my birthday. I am 21 today and this annulment has come as a birthday gift to me and my family," she said thanking the trust.