Koppal: The registration of a child marriage at the sub-registrar’s office was recently uncovered, shedding light on the shoddy approach of the officials in handling these delicate issues.The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights initiated a suo motu complaint concerning this matter and reached out to the officials of the registration department to take action against those responsible.“The officials noted that a young man and a young woman were legally married on Sept 17, 2024, at the sub-registrar’s office of Gangavathi taluk. However, the young man, from Gangavathi city, was only 20 years and 6 months old at the time of the marriage. The very officials tasked with preventing child marriage granted legal approval to this union,” stated Commission member Shekharagouda Ramatnal.Upon receiving detailed information about the incident, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights filed a suo motu complaint and requested an explanation from the registration department officials regarding the incident.The commission raised concerns about how officials in the govt department could facilitate child marriages without properly verifying the documents and instructed them to take action against those who failed in their responsibilities.The deputy registrar, upon receiving the commission’s letter, promptly notified the officials of the Gangavati registration department and requested a report regarding the incident. Additionally, the commission resolved to initiate a separate suo motu complaint against the officials of the sub-registration department involved.When the incident came to light, deputy commissioner Suresh B Itnal raised concerns about how a child marriage could take place within a govt office and whether the documents were properly verified during the registration process. He directed the child protection officers to examine the relevant documents in this matter.This situation placed the registration department officials in a challenging position, prompting them to begin searching for documents related to the case.
