What are law commission recommendations on reducing the legal marriageable age for boys?

In its consultation paper ‘Reform of Family Law’ the law commission has recommended reducing the marriage age for boys to 18.

Law commission on marriage age for Boys:

• Law commission has suggested that 18 years should be the minimum legal age for men and women alike to get married.
• Insistence on recognizing different ages of marriage between consenting adults must be abolished.
• The law commission puts forth that if an 18 year old is given a right to choose their government, surely they must be considered capable to choose their spouses.
• The difference in age for husband and wife has no basis in law as spouses entering into a marriage are by all means equals and their partnership must also be of that between equals.
• Maintaining the difference of 18 years for women and 21 years for men simply contributes to the stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands.

In the report ‘Reform of Family Law’ the commission has also asked into relook at the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 which deems any intercourse under the age of 18 years as rape. As a result even the consensual intercourse between the ages of 16 to 18 may be criminalized. The report says that the law needs to be reconsidered as it criminalizes even the consensual intercourse.

Topics: GS-II: Social Sector Services Education Human Resources