Indian women's groups slam ruling letting 15-year-old girls wed
 

NEW DELHI, Friday (AFP)

Indian women's groups slammed a court ruling allowing girls as young as 15 to wed if they marry of their own free will, urging the government to appeal the decision. "There should definitely be a rethink on this court order and the government should appeal against the decision," said Girija Vyas, head of India's National Commission for Women, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The controversial ruling by the Delhi High Court was reported by the Times of India on Thursday. The newspaper did not say when the decision had been handed down. Indian law bans marriage for women younger than 18 and men under age 21 but child marriages are frequently ignored by authorities.

The court ruled that girls aged at least 15 years can be said to have reached the "age of discretion", and any marriage contracted by them can be considered valid if they have not been coerced into it, the newspaper said.

"Child marriage is a big problem in our country. You should see the plight of child widows. In such a scenario, the court order is a matter of serious concern," Vyas said. While child marriage is dying out in urban areas, it is still common in India's rural regions. Many Indian widows are shunned by their families and cannot remarry because they are seen as unlucky.

The Delhi High Court made the ruling in quashing criminal cases brought against suitors of two girls and quoted the adage, "All is fair in love and war," the newspaper said. The leader of the Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist), Brinda Karat, also attacked the ruling, calling it "ridiculous, outrageous and retrograde".

"We condemn it in the severest of terms. The High Court has gone against the laws banning child marriage," said Karat, urging the government to appeal the ruling.

Tourism Minister Renuka Choudhury also expressed anger. "If a girl can marry at 15, then you might as well allow 15-year-olds to drink, vote and drive," she said.