Which 1929 law was British India's first major legislation setting a minimum marriage age, at 14 for girls and 18 for boys?

The Sarda Act. The Sarda Act of 1929 was British India's first major law setting a minimum marriage age. Read more: Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law.

Which law replaced older child-marriage legislation with stronger, more enforceable provisions, raising the minimum age to 18 for women and 21 for men?

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, replaced older laws and raised the minimum legal marriage age to 18 for women and 21 for men. Read more: Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law.

Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, a child marriage is legally described as what, letting the minor annul it later if they choose?

Voidable. Under the 2006 Act, a child marriage is voidable, not automatically void, letting the minor annul it later if they choose. Read more: Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law.

Which officers were created under the 2006 Act to help prevent and report child marriages?

Child Marriage Prohibition Officers. Child Marriage Prohibition Officers were created under the 2006 Act to help prevent and report such marriages. Read more: Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law.

India's commitment to ending child marriage is tied to which broader international framework?

The Sustainable Development Goals. India has committed to ending child marriage as part of its Sustainable Development Goals commitments. Read more: Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law.

Child Marriage in India: From the Sarda Act to the 2006 Law

A child marriage is a marriage where the girl is under 18 or the boy is under 21. India has used law against it for almost a century. The law is strong. Enforcement is the hard part.

At a Glance

Four facts to hold on to.

1929

Sarda Act: 14 for girls, 18 for boys.

2006

Act: 18 for women, 21 for men.

Voidable

Valid until the child party annuls it.

23.3%

Women aged 20–24 married before 18 (NFHS-5).

Child marriageMarriage below 18 (girl) or 21 (boy).

VoidableValid until a court annuls it.

CMPOChild Marriage Prohibition Officer under the 2006 Act.

NFHSNational Family Health Survey.

In this lesson

The Laws: From the Sarda Act to 2006
How the 2006 Act Works
Courts, Personal Law and Reform
Where India Stands Now

The Laws: From the Sarda Act to 2006

Must Know

The Sarda Act, 1929

It was British India’s first major law on a minimum marriage age.
It is also called the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.
It set 14 for girls and 18 for boys.
It is named after Har Bilas Sarda, a legislator from Ajmer. See his full biography.
Social reformers pushed it. Conservative groups opposed it.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006

It replaced the 1929 law with stronger rules.
It set the minimum age at 18 for women and 21 for men.
It made a child marriage voidable, not void.
Voidable means the marriage stays valid until the child party asks a court to annul it.

Point	Sarda Act, 1929	Act of 2006
Girls	14	18
Boys	18	21
Status of marriage	Offence, but still valid	Voidable at the child’s option
Officers	None	Child Marriage Prohibition Officers

Remember: Ages 14 and 18 belong to the Sarda Act. Ages 18 and 21 belong to the 2006 Act. Exams often swap them.

Bar chart of child marriage rates across three NFHS rounds — Women aged 20-24 married before 18: 47% (NFHS-3), 26.8% (NFHS-4), 23.3% (NFHS-5).

True or False: The Sarda Act set the minimum marriage age at 14 for girls and 18 for boys.

True or False: Under the 2006 Act, every child marriage is void from the start.

How the 2006 Act Works

Good to Know

Key rules

Annulment: the child party can apply to a district court. The window runs until two years after reaching 18, so before age 20.
Children: children born of a child marriage are treated as legitimate.
Support: the court can order maintenance and a place to live for the girl.
Punishment: an adult man who marries a child can face up to two years in jail, a fine up to ₹1 lakh, or both. Those who arrange or help can be punished too.
Offence type: offences are cognizable and non-bailable.
Prevention: courts can issue an order to stop a marriage before it happens.
Officers: states appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers to prevent and report such marriages.

Why the practice continues

Poverty: families see an early marriage as one less expense.
Low schooling: girls out of school are more likely to be married early.
Social pressure: family and community expect early marriage.
Weak enforcement: many cases are never reported, and few lead to punishment.
These links tie this topic to wider themes such as gender inequality. See the joint family and family and values.

Think it through: why is a voidable marriage better for the child than a void one?

A void marriage has no legal standing, even if the young person wants to stay in it. That can leave them without rights. A voidable marriage stays valid until the child party chooses. They can end it or keep it. The law also protects any children and gives maintenance.

True or False: A person married as a child can ask a court to annul the marriage until age 20.

Courts, Personal Law and Reform

Great to Know

What the courts said

Independent Thought v. Union of India (2017): the Supreme Court read down an exception in the old rape law. The exception let a man escape a rape charge for sex with his wife aged 15 to 18. The Court said the wife’s age must be 18.
The new criminal code, the BNS, in force since 1 July 2024, also sets 18.
October 2024 judgment: the Supreme Court issued guidelines to enforce the 2006 Act. It stressed prevention and community action.
The Court did not settle whether the Act overrides personal laws. It asked Parliament to consider banning child betrothals.
Source: SCC Online, Supreme Court guidelines.

Reform that did not pass

A 2021 Bill proposed to raise the minimum age for women to 21.
It was sent to a parliamentary standing committee in December 2021.
It lapsed when the 17th Lok Sabha was dissolved in 2024.
Karnataka has gone further. Its 2017 amendment made child marriages there void from the start.
Source: PRS India, 2021 Bill.

True or False: The 2021 Bill to raise the women’s marriage age to 21 became law.

Where India Stands Now

Current Affairs

The numbers

Women aged 20–24 married before 18: 23.3% in NFHS-5 (2019–21).
It was 26.8% in NFHS-4 (2015–16).
It was about 47% in NFHS-3 (2005–06), the year the 2006 Act began. So the rate has roughly halved.
NFHS-5 is still the latest national figure in official material.
Source: PIB, NFHS data.

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat

The Women and Child Development Ministry launched it on 27 November 2024.
The goal is a child-marriage-free India by 2030.
An interim aim is a 10% fall in the rate by 2026.
It focuses on 257 high-burden districts picked from NFHS-5 data.
About 38,000 Child Marriage Prohibition Officers are linked to a central portal.
The minister reported about 2 lakh child marriages prevented in one year. Yet roughly 1 in 5 young women are still married below the legal age.
Sources: PIB, Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat; Deccan Herald.

Remember: Strong law but weak enforcement is the recurring theme. Link it to SDG target 5.3, which seeks to end child marriage.

True or False: India’s child marriage rate has roughly halved since the 2006 Act began.

Quick Q&A

Sarda ages?

14 girls, 18 boys.

2006 ages?

18 women, 21 men.

Voidable means?

Valid until the child annuls it.

Annulment window?

Until two years after turning 18.

Who prevents?

Child Marriage Prohibition Officers.

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