Woman seeks annulment of child marriage

A 20-year-old Indian woman is seeking an annulment for her marriage that was formalized when she was 5 years old, officials said Monday. Rekha Kumari, a resident of Peepar city, was officially married to a boy by her grandfather when she was just five years old, the Indo-Asian News Service reported. Now, she has applied to have district officials annul the marriage. "She filed an application before the local sub-divisional officer on Sunday, requesting security from a village community council or panchayat. She says that they were threatening to expel her from the locality, which means she and her family members would not be able to mingle with other villagers. It also warned of slapping huge cash fines on her and her family members if she did not accept the marriage," a senior district administration officer told IANS. The official said Kumari's grandfather, with whom she lived, recently passed away and her in-laws have been pressuring her to move in with them, "which she refused as the boy she was married to is hardly literate." "We have assured Rekha of adequate security for her and her family members and urged her to stay firm on her decision. We would lodge a police case against the members of the village panchayat if she gets further threats," the officer said.