In more trouble for Jharkhand BJP president Tala Marandi and his son Munna, Godda district administration has instituted a civil suit against the father-son duo in connection with Munna’s wedding to allegedly an underaged girl. The lawsuit accuses the girl’s father, too.
Following a local court’s direction, the police had registered an FIR against Munna after another girl had accused him of sexual abuse after promising to marry her. Marandi, appointed the BJP’s state unit chief last month and the first Santhal to get the post, has rejected the allegations and blamed the opposition for fabricating a story about the girl being a minor.
According to an official communication issued by Godda administration, the civil suit was instituted before a First Class Judicial Magistrate under Child Marriage Prevention Act against Munna, Tala Marandi and the minor’s father for the June 27 wedding.
The Sections under which they have been charged pertain to contacting a child for marriage and entails punitive action against parents/guardians involved in such child marriages. The civil suit was instituted on the directions of Deputy Commissioner (Dumka), Rahul Kumar Sinha, who holds charge of Godda district as well. Sinha directed Vijay Prakash Marandi, the Block Development Officer and Child Marriage Prevention Officer of Boarijore Block, to conduct preliminary inquiry into allegations that the girl Munna had married last week is a minor.
Citing media reports and statements of some witnesses, including a panchayat functionary, and the documents submitted by her school, the inquiry says prima facie it appears the girl was born on July 25, 2005, making her less than 11 years old.
