Rajasthan girl wages war against child marriage

Posted: 8 years ago
Rajasthan girl wages war against child marriage

Ajay Parmar | 2015-05-12 23:35:00 +0000

Santadevi, 19, with her father Padmaram.
JODHPUR: A brave Rajasthan teenager who rejected the marriage conducted by her parents when she was just 11 months old, and was slapped a penalty of Rs 16 lakh by a panchayat for standing up to her parents and patriarchy, is now set to move court for legal termination of her childhood marriage.

Santadevi Meghwal, 19, said she would file a petition on Wednesday in the family court for the annulment, a requirement because of an anomaly in the law. While child marriage is prohibited in the country, it is not void, and has to be dissolved, should either partner or both wish to dissolve it.

"I do not want to have anything to do with the child marriage," Meghwal told reporters. "I don't even remember I had a child marriage. Now that I know, I want it annulled. The community has boycotted my family and my so-called in-laws are threatening to forcibly take me away."

Meghwals live in Rohicha Khurd village in Luni tahsil, 70km from Jodhpur. They got Santadevi married even before her first birthday with a nine-year-old boy. Santadevi learned about her marriage when she turned 16, and has been protesting against it ever since.

"When I renounced this marriage, my so-called husband Sanwalaram started stalking me and threatening to take me away forcibly," Santadevi said. "At first, I was scared as my parents were not with me. But, the more pressure they put, the more determined I got to break free," she told TOI.



Santadevi now lives in Jodhpur and is pursuing her graduation at Jai Narayan Vyas University. "I am not in contact with those people. I want to study and become a teacher," she said.

Her father Padmaram, a mason, now sees reason, and is standing by his daughter. "The panchayat has threatened me to either send my daughter to her 'in-laws' or face penalty. I am ready to face the opposition of my community for the good of my daughter," he told TOI.

Kriti Bharti of Sarthi Trust, which is helping Santadevi's seeking annulment, said attempts to counsel Sanwalaram have failed. "We're going to move to court for annulment on Wednesday," Bharti said. The Women and Child Welfare department has sought details and offered Meghwals legal help.

Rajasthan health minister Rajendra Singh Rathore said the administration has been told to act against the panchayat. "We've asked officials to probe the matter and take harsh action against panchayat members if they're found guilty," said Rathore.

Home minister Gulab Chand Katariya pledged government's assistance if Meghwals file a police case.

Attempts to get a comment from Sanwalaram or his family members failed. Padmaram is preparing to file a complaint against the panchayat for harassment and abetment of child marriage.
Posted: 8 years ago
TFS Artee
I saw this news on one of the news channel's website  a couple of days ago.

Very brave of that girl to fight against the very society she is part of. It takes a lot to fight against one's own.

Hope they show something like this with Nandini too.
Posted: 8 years ago
Just like our Nimboli. But this girl is with her parents.
Posted: 8 years ago
When will Indian change their mentality about a girl? Why are they always in hurry to get their daughter married? This is so sad that these type of things happen even today.
Posted: 8 years ago

  Artee, 
              TFS.

 Saw this news in the morning on front page. 

 Glad that girl has courage to fight against the ppl she has to live with and has enough knowledge of law to fight for her right. 

Wish her success in her endeavors. 👍🏼 

---------------------

BV might have been useful to make her aware about the law regarding annulment of  her marriage at right time after gaining adulthood. 😊
Posted: 8 years ago
We hear news of the girl annulling the child marriage
Or a girl even after being in her sasural for years then finally breaks out of that asural

When will we hear the news that parents refuse to get the girl married before the age 18


When news like that comes then BV has really achieved its goal If it is the goal still



Posted: 8 years ago
Good article.
But how come this lady does not keep in touch with her ex husband and in laws. She should take inspiration from BV and manitain kachchi umar ke pakke rishte.
Posted: 8 years ago
Originally posted by leavesandwaves


Just like our Nimboli. But this girl is with her parents.
Girl's parents seem to have come on board much later. But any ways it is a good change.
Posted: 8 years ago
Originally posted by Chahanya


We hear news of the girl annulling the child marriage
Or a girl even after being in her sasural for years then finally breaks out of that asural

When will we hear the news that parents refuse to get the girl married before the age 18


When news like that comes then BV has really achieved its goal If it is the goal still



What is needed the father insisting that he will not get his daughter married before she turns 18.I think then only we can say that change has arrived.

Till now only the girls fighting later on the parents joining the fight.


Posted: 8 years ago

On other things sometimes I feel the viewers are more obsessed  with Anandi Jagya relationship.While Anandi is very sorted out on that front. She can't remove him from her mind because he happens to a big part in her childhood.If she has to take him out of her mind she has to forget the fact that she was a child once. She is very sure that he is only friend from her chldhood days and never wants him as her husband.

Don't know why people fail to understand that the bond they have together now is because of the time they spent together as children doing things together having same bunch of friends from childhood be it Phooli or Lal Singh.
Jagya Anandi child marriage just shows how childhood and the innocent friendships get painted with a different colour because of child marriage.
This is mainly because both are of same age. 
While the reasons fro the failure of the marriage could be many including that being a child marriage but the lasting effect of that child marriage was either let go of your childhood memories or carry them along with you while trying to keep the child marriage in the past.


If we see Abhi and Shivam now it is almost like what Jagya and Anandi's relationship had been when they were at that age.Except that Shivam a bit naughty while Anandi was a perfect little angel all set for sainthood even back then. Only difference is that Anandi and Jagya were bound by an unnatural bond.


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