Dolakha, March 11

An attempt to force two under-aged children into matrimony failed in Dolakha’s Gaurishankar Rural Municipality today after police intervention.

As per the schedule, a 19-and-a-half year-old girl was to tie the knot with an 18-year-old boy in the rural municipality today. The wedding-in-the-making, however, was stopped in the eleventh hour after a team led by Inspector Sunajit Tamang reached the wedding venue. “We stopped the wedding by holding discussion with the guardians of the concerned children and local representatives,” said Inspector Tamang, adding the couple’s guardians disavowed knowledge of the new legal provision.

The new criminal code has outlawed marriage between under-20-year-olds and envisions prison sentence of up to three years and a fine up to Rs 30,000 for anyone involved in forcing those who have not reached legal age into marriage. One has to reach 20 years of age to be legally married.