Madhya Pradesh High Court today issued notice to the state government on a petition seeking action against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife and MP Dimple for attending a mass wedding programme at Niwadi town, where marriages of 20 minors were solemnised.
The notices were issued by the division bench of acting Chief Justice K K Lahori and Justice M A Siddiqui on a petition filed by a BJP activist Gyandeen Ahirwar.
The bench asked the state government to file its reply in the matter within four weeks detailing what action it has taken in the case.
The mass marriage function was organised on March 9 at Niwadi town in Tikamgarh district in Madhya Pradesh by Samajwadi Party MLAs Meera Yadav and her husband Deep Narayan Yadav from Garrauthai (Jhansi) seat in Uttar Pradesh.
Ahirwar, in his petition contended that despite having the knowledge about minors being married off in the mass marriage function, the district administration and police failed to take action against the organisers under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act.
The petitioner contended that although he has informed the concerned authorities about the child marriage in the function, police did not take any action as the organisers were influential persons.
He demanded action against Niwadi Police station in-charge Priyanka Pathak for not taking action.
There are provisions under Child Marriage Act to prosecute the organisers and persons attending such functions, petitioner's advocate Dinesh Upadhyaya said.
Akhilesh, Dimple, Deep Narayan Yadav, Meera, Tikamgarh collector, sub-divisional officer (Niwadi), the Superintendent of Police, sub-divisional officer police (Niwadi) and Niwadi Family and Child Welfare project officer D K Dixit have been made respondents in the case.
