New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition filed by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against a 2022 Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment which held that a 16-year-old Muslim girl can enter into a valid marriage under Muslim Personal Law and granted protection to the couple.
A Bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice R. Mahadevan said the NCPCR had no locus standi to challenge the High Court's order.
"Why should the NCPCR be challenging an order granting protection to the life and liberty of a couple? NCPCR has no locus. It is strange that a body meant to protect children has challenged such an order," the Bench remarked.
The NCPCR's lawyer argued that the key issue w...