Age of Marriage in Chandigarh: Current Laws and Proposed Amendments
Age of Marriage in Chandigarh: Current Laws and Proposed Amendments – The central laws of marriage apply directly to Chandigarh as it is a Union Territory. Today the legal age of marriage is determined by three central statutes that work side by side. These are the Prohibition of child marriage ACT, 2006, the Hindu marriage ACT, 1955, and the special marriage ACT, 1954. This means that the minimum age for men is 21 and for women is 18 for marriage, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and all other law ensure that the marriage is legal and both the involved individuals are ready for marriage or not.
In this blog, we will discuss Age of Marriage in Chandigarh: Current Laws and Proposed Amendments in detail understand more about how Age of individuals matter in a marriage
Understanding Current Law
There are three current law for marriage that must have to be followed which performing a marriage:
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA).
The law was formed to prevent and prohibit child marriages. Under this law, any male below 21 years or female below 18 years is considered a child, and marriage for them is strictly prohibited. Marriages fo such an individual are considered child marriage,s which is a violation and can be charged of Criminal penalties for those who perform, arrange, or promote the marriage
Hindu Marriage Act 1955
This act was brought in action to cover marriages for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and sikhs under this Act a vilid marriage requires the Bridegroom to complets 21 years for male and 18 years for female. If these Age conditions arent made or fulfilled then the both HMA and PCMA may comes into action
Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA).
The marriages like interfaith or inter-community comes unders special marriage Act same goes for this also the minimum age limit for marriage is 21 and 18 . In chandigarh similar to0 other places the SMA is administered locally by the marriage officer.
Personal Law and Recent Court Developments
In India’s pluralistic system that means, personal law systems sometimes interact with child-protection laws. There has been controversy, most notably concerning Muslim personal law, about whether reaching puberty (assumed at around 15 years) qualifies one to marry even if one of the spouses is under 18.
In a very recent case on August 19, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal from the national child-rights body which was opposing a High Court order under which they permitted a Muslim girl over 15 to be treated as eligible to marry under Musilim personal law.
This has reignited the debate on the compatibility of such judgements and law that aims to protects childrens, such as PCMA and POCSO. The case law observed in the judgment does not change the PCMA or the SMA/HMA’s prescribed ages, but the ruling highlights the fact that a case law developed in the given set of facts can, and does, complicate matters. If you are in such circumstances in Chandigarh, seek bespoke legal counsel.
The Proposed Change to Raise Women’s Age to 21
The Union Government proposed Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill in 2021, aiming to equalize the age for women to 21, thus proposing to remove the discrepancy in age laws for both genders. Women age 21 to 21 was thus just a formality to be made across all laws. It also explicitly stated that it would override any custom or personal law to the contrary. However, it was not passed after being referred to a parliamentary standing committee. With the expiration of the 17th Lok Sabha in 2024, the bill lapsed and has not been enacted as of today . Any further modification would necessitate fresh introduction and passage.
What this means for Couples in Chandigarh
For those marrying under Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act, the minimum age for marriage remains 21 for male and 18 for female. Marriage application, notice period (for SMA), and document submission must be timed and prepared accordingly.
PCMA applies uniformly within the Chandigarh region, allowing the enforcement and prosecution of child marriages. Even if a marriage is technically voidable as opposed to void, the facilitation of such is child marriage is a criminal offense.
The law is still mixed-type systems: personal law claims that contradict child-protection laws are still very delicate.
Conclusion
As per the current law and passed bills the minimum age limit for the marriage is still 21 for male and 18 for female. The Hindu Marriage Act, Special marriage Act and prohibition of child marriage Act determines this age createria, some there are complication when some rules of personal law boards contradicts with it such as muslim presonal law board under this the female hit there puberty at 15 and they are ready for marriage. This may cause some complication in courts. This blog contains all the information required to understand Age of Marriage in Chandigarh: Current Laws and Proposed Amendments.
