Officials foil bid to marry off minor

NAMAKKAL: A 15-year-old girl’s marriage to a 30-year-old man was stopped, by revenue officials here on Sunday.According to a senior officer, arrangements were on for the marriage ceremony of G Deepalakshmi and K Meyyazhagan in a hall at Kosavampatti. A reception was held on Saturday while the wedding was scheduled for the following morning. Based on a tip-off, a team of revenue officials led by Namakkal tahsildar K Thiru­gnanam visited the marriage hall on Sunday and sought the proof of age. The relatives and guests gathered there initially resisted, arguing that the girl was 18 years old, but the officials ascertained her actual age through her school certificates and advised the parents to halt the marriage proceedings.Tahsildar K Thirugnanam told Express: “When we reminded them about Jambumadai village and the consequent arrest of the parents who married off minor girls, Govindharaj, and Kuppu­samy, fathers of the bride and groom respectively, agreed to call off the wedding.”