Consider the following statements:
1. The Age of Consent Act (1891) made it unlawful to marry a girl under the age of twelve.
2. The Sarda Act of 1929 raised the marriage age to 18 for boys and 14 for girls.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation:
Both statements are correct: The relentless efforts of a Parsi reformer, B.M. Malabari was rewarded by the enactment of the Age of Consent Act (1891) which forbade the marriage of girls below the age of 12.
The Sarda Act (1929) further pushed up the marriage age to 18 and 14 for boys and girls, respectively.
In free India, the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 1978 raised the age of marriage for girls from 15 to 18 years and boys from 18 to 21.