Bihar Teen Forcefully Married To 33-Year-Old Man. Supreme Court Steps In

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Bihar government on a petition filed by a 16-year-old girl, who is "facing threat" for refusing to continue her "coerced" marriage with a 33-year-old man.

A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuiyan and Justice Manmohan also directed the Bihar police to provide full security to the girl and her friend, who is facing an FIR for alleged kidnapping, after he helped her escape and go into hiding. 

The top court sought a report in a sealed cover by July 15. 

In her petition, the girl from Bihar sought annulment of her marriage under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, 2006 that seeks to prevent the solemnisation of child marriages and provide protection and relief to victims.

She said her parents got her married to a civil contractor aged 32-33 years under "coercion" on December 9 and immediately sent her off to her in-laws' house, despite knowing that her Class X board examinations were round the corner. "She was not allowed to return to her parental home by her in-laws who claimed to have given and spent a lot of money for the marriage and repeatedly told her that they wanted a baby," the petition, filed by her friend through advocate Gyanant Singh, said.

"Her husband who is a civil contractor claimed that the Petitioner's parents were indebted to them and she would have to continue in the marriage rather than go for further studies to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher or a lawyer," it added. 

The girl's husband, the plea said, used to mercilessly beat" her on a daily basis "for refusing and resisting his attempt at physical relationship". "She remained under severe stress till the second week of January, when her maternal uncle persuaded the in-laws to allow her to return to her parental home for board examination. Despite all odds, she was able to clear the matriculation examination," it said. 

As the in-laws began pressuring the girl's parents to send her back, she approached her friend, who agreed to help her after much persuasion. On March 31, the girl ran away from her home and first went to Varanasi with her friend. "They have since been on the run after their location was traced," the plea said. 

The girl's family, however, alleged she was kidnapped and filed a case against her friend, his father, mother and maternal uncle. "The Petitioner seeks indulgence of this Hon'ble Court as the family members of her friend are being tortured and threatened to ensure that he abandons me, fearing safety of his parents and family members," the plea said.

"The father of the petitioner has already been arrested merely on the basis of the allegation in the FIR which is false. The arrest is only to ensure that my friend betrays me and hands me back to my family and in-laws," the plea added. 

The girl also alleged that her husband has told the villagers that "he would not mind going to jail after killing her". "The state machinery has failed to take appropriate action and come to the rescue of the Petitioner in terms of the mandate of The Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, 2006," the plea said. 

The petitioner was represented by advocate Abhishek Rai in the top court.