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Assam drive against child marriage

The Assam Cabinet has decided to book men who marry minor girls under stringent laws prescribing imprisonment from two years to life, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who announced the decision after a cabinet meeting held here, said the move was based on a thorough discussion of the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) 5 by the state government.

The legal age of marriage in India is 18 for women and 21 for men. Sarma said men who married girls under 14 years will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, and those marrying girls between 14 and 18 years of age will be booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

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