The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra government to provide details on the appointment of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers within the state.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor instructed the government to file an affidavit on the following aspects:
• How many CMPOs have been appointed by the State of Maharashtra?
• Whether the number is sufficient or does the State require more officers?
• The CMPOs purportedly managed to prohibit 821 marriages from 2018 to 2022. However, no additional information or details such as FIR details, etc., has been provided.
• Under the Maharashtra Prohibition of Child Marriage Rules, a CPMO was directed to provide regular updates about child marriages that have been prevented or reported. If CPMO fails to discharge his duty, has any disciplinary action taken against the officer?
The state government has been directed to submit the affidavit before August 2, 2023.
The directions were issued in response to a public interest litigation highlighting concerns about child marriages in Maharashtra and the alleged non-implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA).
The plea sought the framing and implementation of rules to effectively enforce the PCMA.
The court was informed that rules under the PCMA were framed and notified on October 21, 2022, granting CMPOs the authority to take action on complaints and conduct investigations regarding child marriages.
