Bengaluru, July 24: Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved a Bill that will make even engagements involving minors a criminal offence.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2025, was cleared during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and will be introduced in the upcoming session of the state legislature, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil told reporters.
“This Bill sends a strong message — not only child marriage but even betrothing a minor is unacceptable and will attract legal consequences,” Patil said. “People who were escaping legal action can no longer get away. We are doing whatever best could be done to check child marriages,” he added.
The decision comes in the wake of alarming figures — nearly 700 child marriages were reported across Karnataka in 2023-24, prompting the state to tighten its laws.
The Cabinet’s move follows a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, where Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs were instructed to intensify efforts to prevent child marriages at the grassroots level.
Officials said the Bill is part of broader social reform efforts aimed at closing loopholes that allow families to formalise underage relationships through engagement ceremonies, often seen as precursors to illegal marriages.
The Bill is expected to introduce strict penalties for individuals who arrange, facilitate, or participate in the engagement of a minor, and reinforce Karnataka’s push for zero tolerance toward child marriage.
