[object Object]

In Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur, Bangladesh, a father has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment by a mobile court for secretly arranging the marriage of his 14-year-old daughter.

The verdict was delivered during an enforcement drive in the Munshurpur area of Kaliganj municipality. The executive magistrate, Zakia Sarwar Lima, halted a post-wedding reception for the girl, a student at Muslin Cotton Mill High School, after confirming her age via her birth registration.

The convict, identified as Mohammad Rakib, 34, from Munshurpur, was found to have concealed the bride's actual age. A marriage declaration was prepared on July 9 through a notary public lawyer at the Narsingdi District Court, falsely stating the girl's age. Based on this fraudulent document, the girl was married to Arif Mia from a neighboring district.

Rakib was sentenced under Section 8 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017, which prohibits the marriage of individuals under the age of majority. The intervention by the mobile court highlights ongoing efforts to combat child marriage in the region.

“

The court sentenced Rakib to six months' imprisonment under Section 8 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017.