Child marriage annulled after 17 years

Jaipur An Indian couple who ‘married' when aged just one and three have had their wedding annulled in a ground-breaking case that could challenge the culture of child marriages.

Laxmi Sargara (pictured), now 18, wed her husband Rakesh, now 20, in Rajasthan 17 years ago after their families decided that they would be married.

Union legally revoked

In the first procedure of its type, the pair had their union legally revoked in the city of Jodhpur on Tuesday as part of a campaign against enforced child marriages.

"I was unhappy about the marriage. I told my parents who did not agree with me, then I sought help," Sargara said. "Now I am mentally relaxed and my family members are also with me."

When she discovered that she was married, Sargara went for advice to social worker Kriti Bharti, who runs a welfare organisation that lobbies for children's rights.

Negotiation

Bharti negotiated with Rakesh, the groom, and both families to persuade them that the marriage was unfair.

Rakesh at first wanted to press ahead with the relationship but was convinced by his wife's fierce opposition to agree that the marriage should be revoked.

The annulment took place on the Akshaya Tritiya festival, a traditional date for mass child weddings in India.