New Delhi: The controversial Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which has been seen by some to validate the practice of child marriage, has been withdrawn by the state government, NDTV reported.The state’s Congress government announced that it would ask the governor to repeal the bill on Monday, October 11, which was ‘International Girl Child Day’.The Bill was passed in the Rajasthan assembly by voice vote on September 17. An amendment to Section 8 (1) of the 2009 law lays out that, in the case of a marriage where the groom has not attained the age of 21 or the bride has not attained the age of 18, the parents or guardians of the concerned parties would be required to submit a memorandum for the registration of the marriage.Opposition MLAs had taken exception to this, claiming that it would validate and legitimise child marriages and thus staged a walk-out.While addressing a programme for International Girl Child Day, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, noting the controversy surrounding the bill, said, “We will request the governor to return the bill that we have passed.”विवाहों के अनिवार्य पंजीयन को लेकर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के एक आदेश की भावना के अनुरूप ही राजस्थान विवाहों का अनिवार्य पंजीकरण (संशोधन) विधेयक,2021 लाया गया है।परंतु बाल विवाह को लेकर जो गलत धारणा बन गयी है,तो हम बिल को माननीय राज्यपाल महोदय से अनुरोध करेंगे कि इसे सरकार को पुनः लौटा दें— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 11, 2021Gehlot went on to note that the government will consult lawyers and only then decide whether or not to take the Bill forward. He went on to say that it is the “government’s resolve” to make sure that child marriages don’t take place in the state at any cost.The chief minister also cited a 2006 Supreme Court judgement in the case of Seema vs Ashwini Kumar which mandated the registration of all kinds of marriage. He went on to say that the government had taken legal opinions prior to the passage of the bill as well but that it would further consult lawyers to ensure child marriages never take place again.Earlier, in response to opposition outrage at the Bill, Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, the state’s parliamentary affairs minister argued that the registration of child marriages is not intended to provide validity to them. Dhariwal also averred that, despite registration, action will be taken against those who register child marriages and that both parties to the marriage will be able to annul the union upon becoming majors.Dhariwal also cited the 2006 Supreme Court judgement as a reason for the Bill being introduced.Also read: Rajasthan’s Amended Bill to Register Marriages Includes ‘Registration of Child Marriages’Despite Dhariwal’s assurances, the passage of the Bill was met with widespread disapproval. A petition challenging the Bill’s constitutional validity was also filed in the high court by one Kriti Bhati, an activist who works with the NGO Saarthi Trust which works against child marriages in the state.The petition noted that registering child marriages would make raising objections against them later more difficult. It also contended that the Rajasthan government had misinterpreted the aforementioned Supreme Court order and that no public consultation had been sought.Even the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had written to the Rajasthan government with the apprehension that the bill would “legitimise” child marriages.Asking the state to reconsider the Bill, the NCPCR feared that the enactment of the same would have serious consequences on the “physical, psychological and social state of minors and their education”.With PTI inputs