Jaipur, May 2 (IANS): Terming the trend of child marriages in the state as alarming, the Rajasthan High Court directed the state government in an urgent order to ensure that no child marriages are solemnised during the upcoming Akshaya Tritiya festival (May 10).

The court also directed to make the Panchs and Sarpanchs (village heads) accountable if they fail to prevent child marriage.

Given that many child marriages are solemnised on Akshay Tritiya in Rajasthan, the court direction came on a PIL filed by Just Rights For Children Alliance, a coalition of multiple NGOs, seeking urgent intervention by the authorities to prevent child marriages during the auspicious occasion.

A division bench comprising Justices Shubha Mehta and Pankaj Bhandari also directed the authorities to keep a ‘hawk’s eye’ on a masked list provided by the petitioners, listing 54 child marriages that have been held or will be held on Akshaya Tritiya. While 46 of the child marriages are yet to take place, the remaining have already been solemnised.

“A report should be sought from the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer (CMPO) about the child marriages which have taken place in his jurisdiction, and the efforts taken by him in preventing the same,” the court order said.

The high court also directed the state government to ensure that the scheduled marriages of 46 children mentioned in the list do not take place.

While the bench noted that the efforts of the state authorities have been instrumental in bringing down the number of child marriages in the state, a lot is still required to be done.

As per the National Health Family Survey (2019-21), 25.4 per cent of women in the age group 20-24 years were married before 18 in Rajasthan against the national rate of 23.3 per cent.

Bhuwan Ribhu, the Founder of Just Rights for Children Alliance, said, “Child marriage is the most pervasive and heinous crime that is socially acceptable here. It is a landmark step by the Rajasthan High Court to affix the responsibility of reporting such marriages on the Panchs and Sarpanchs, as it is the only way to bring about a behavioural change on the issue. The way India has been taking steps to end child marriage is a lesson for the entire world, and the Rajasthan High Court’s order is yet another significant stride in this direction.”

The order came at a crucial time as incidents of child marriage witness a sharp spike during Akshaya Tritiya.