Sharda Act: Formation, Significance, and Punishment
On September 28, 1929, the Sharda Act was passed into law. The statute set the marriageable age for girls at 14 and boys at 18. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 sets the marriageable age for boys and girls at 18 and 21 years old. How was the Sharda Act 1929 formed? Several proposals dealing with the age of consent were introduced in Indian legislatures, but they all failed. The All India Women's Conference, Women's Indian Association, and National Council of Women in India formulated and stated the case for raising the marriage and consent age before the Joshi Committee through their members. Even though they knew they would face criticism from Muslim Ulemas, Muslim women expressed their opinions to the Joshi Committee in favour of lifting the marriage age restriction. The Joshi Committee's report was given on June 20, 1929, and the Imperial Legislative Council passed it on September 28, 1929. On April 1, 1930, it became law after Lord Irwin's consent, ext...