Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development on Monday set 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for both boys and girls across the province, abolishing an earlier provision that had permitted girls to marry at the age of 16.
The Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2026 was unanimously approved and aims to curb child marriages and strengthen child protection laws in the province. It has declared underage marriage a cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offense, enabling immediate police action and preventing any private settlement of such cases.
Under the proposed law, any person involved in facilitating underage marriage, including the adult spouse, parents or guardians, Nikah registrars, or any other facilitator, may face up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. 1 million. The law categorizes cohabitation after such a marriage as child abuse, carrying stricter punishment, and directs that all such cases be decided by courts within 90 days.
During the meeting, the standing committee directed the secretary of local government to finalize draft rules under the bill and present them before the committee for final approval within 60 days. It observed that the legislation would play a vital role in eliminating underage marriages, addressing gender disparity, and reinforcing legal protections for children in Punjab.