Images of a 35-year-old marrying a 6-year-old girl found its way to the Internet, following the arrest of the people involved. Ratan Lal Jat, who is an elected member of the Gangrar village council married the girl in a secret temple ceremony, in front of 5 witnesses.
Local police said the ceremony was to carry through an ancient local custom of Nata Pratha, that says any married man can have an affair with a married woman if he provides financial compensation although, the two lovers must both be wed. Since Ratan Lal Jat was single, he married the six-year-old girl in order to comply with the age-old tradition.
The kid's family was paid a fee and even though she is married to Ratan Lal, she could continue to live with her family.
The Police have arrested Ratan Lal under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006. Gyanendra Singh, inspector and Station House officer of the area said, “We learnt about the incident when the pictures of the wedding started circulating on social network apps. We managed to get hold of the pictures and we sent a team to investigate the matter. We found Ratan Lal had married a minor to follow age-old customs. But for us it is a clear case of child marriage and we arrested Ratan Lal under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.”
