PUNJAB CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT ACT 2026

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THE PUNJAB CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT ACT 2026 
(XXVII of 2026) 
CONTENTS 
1. Short title, extent and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Registration of child marriages 
4. Punishment for marrying a child 
5. Child abuse and its punishment 
6. Child trafficking and its punishment 
7. Punishment for guardian involved in a child marriage 
8. Jurisdiction under the Act 
9. Power to issue injunction 
10. Offences to be non-bailable 
11. Trial of offences 
12. Applicability of the Code 
13. Best interests of the child 
14. Power to make rules 
15. Repeal and saving 
 
 
TEXT 
1
THE PUNJAB CHILD MARRIAGE RESTRAINT ACT 2026 
(XXVII of 2026) 
[11 May 2026] 
An 
Act 
to restrain the solemnization of child marriages in the Punjab. 
It is necessary to restrain the solemnization of child marriages in the Punjab and to 
provide for the matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto. 
It is hereby enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows: 
1. Short title, extent and commencement .– (1) This Act may be cited as the 
Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026.  
(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab.  
(3) It shall come into force at once.  
2. Definitions.– In the Act:  
(a) “Act” means the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026; 
(b) “best interests of the child” means the child’s well -being and holistic 
development, including safety, health, education, dignity, identity and 
protection from abuse, exploitation and harmful practices, to be 
assessed in the light of the child's age and evolving capacities; 
(c) “child” means a person, male or female, who is under eighteen years of 
age;  
(d) “child marriage” means an act of Nikah or solemnizing  a marriage 
where both or either of the contracting parties is a child;  
(e) “Code” means the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (V of 1898);  
(f) “contracting party” means either of the parties whose Nikah or marriage 
is, or about to be, performed or solemnized;  
(g) “Court” means the Court of Sessions as provided under the Code;  
(h) “Government” means Government of the Punjab; and 
(i) “guardian” means a natural guardian or a guardian appointed under the 
Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 (VIII of 1890). 
3. Registration of child marriages.– (1) No Nikah registrar shall register a child 
marriage.  
                                    
1This Act was passed by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 27 April 2026; and was assented to by Governor of the Punjab 
on 11 May 2026; and was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 11 May 2026, pp. 5907-5910. 
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 (2) Whoever contravenes the provision of sub-section (1), shall be liable to 
be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and 
with fine of one hundred thousand rupees. 
4. Punishment for marrying a child.– Whoever, being an adult above eighteen 
years of age, contracts a marriage with a child, shall be punished with rigorous 
imprisonment which may extend to three years but shall not be less than two years 
and shall be liable to fine which may extend to five hundred thousand rupees.  
5. Child abuse and its punishment .– (1) Any form of cohabitation, before 
attaining the age of eighteen years, with or without consent, resulting from a child 
marriage shall be the child abuse under the Act.  
(2) Any person who induces, forces, persuades, entices or coerces any 
child bride or child groom to engage in child abuse or commits child abuse shall be 
punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years but shall 
not be less than five years  and with fine which shall not be less than one million 
rupees.  
6. Child trafficking and its punishment .– (1) Any person who induces, forces, 
persuades, entices , compels or coerces any child  to leave , or takes such child 
beyond the territorial boundary o f the Punjab for the purpose of defeating and 
evading the provisions of the Act for child marriage, shall commit the offence of child 
trafficking, and shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to seven 
years but shall not be  less than five year s and with fine which may extend to one 
million rupees.  
(2) Any person who recruits, harbours, transports, provides or obtains any 
child for the purpose of child trafficking shall commit an offence under the Act which 
shall be punish ed with imprisonment which may extend to three years and with fine 
which may extend to five hundred thousand rupees.  
7. Punishment for guardian involved in a child marriage .– Where a guardian 
or any other person in any capacity, lawful or unlawful, does any  act to promote a 
child marriage, child abuse or permits a child marriage to be solemnized, or 
intentionally or negligently fails to prevent it from being solemnized, shall be 
punished with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to three years but shall no t 
be less than two years , and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to five 
hundred thousand rupees.  
8. Jurisdiction under the Act.– Notwithstanding anything contained in section 
190 of the Code, no court other than the Court of Session s shall take cognizance of 
or try any offence under the Act.  
9. Power to issue injunction .– (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary 
contained in any other law, the Court may, if satisfied with the information laid before 
it through an application that a child m arriage is going to be arranged, issue an 
injunction:  
 Provided that where the person who has laid the information before the Court, 
requests to keep his identity hidden from the contracting parties or from the parent or 
guardian of the contracting parties or other parent, the Court shall adopt appropriate 
measures to protect the identity of such person.  
(2) No injunction under sub -section (1) shall be issued against any person 
unless the Court has previously given notice to such person, and has afforded him 
an opportunity to show cause against the issuance of the injunction:  
 Provided that the Court may dispense with such notice if it deems necessary.  
(3) The Court may, either on its own motion or on an application of any 
person, rescind or alter any order made under sub-section (1).  
(4) Where an application under sub -section (3) is received, the Court shall 
afford an opportunity for the applic ant to appear before it either in person or by a 
pleader, and if the Court rejects the application wholly or in part, it shall record in 
writing the reasons thereof.  
(5) Whoever, knowing that an injunction has been issued against him 
under sub-section (1), disobeys such injunction, shall be punished with imprisonment 
for a term which may extend to one year or fine which may extend to one hundred 
thousand rupees or with both.  
10. Offences to be non -bailable.– Notwithstanding anything contained in the 
Code, an offence punishable under the Act shall be cognizable, non -bailable and 
non-compoundable. 
11. Trial of offences.– The Court shall, on taking cognizance of a case  under the 
Act, proceed with the trial and conclude it within ninety days.  
12. Applicability of  the Code .– Subject to the provisions of the  Act, the 
provisions of the Code shall mutatis mutandis apply.  
13. Best interests of the child .– (1) In all actions and decisions taken under this 
Act, including prevention, investigation, prosecution, bail, sen tencing and protective 
injunctions, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. 
(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the Court shall consider: 
(a) the child’s safety and protection from violence, intimidation, retaliation 
and social stigma; 
(b) the child's physical and mental health, including risks arising from 
cohabitation or pregnancy: 
(c) the child’s right to education and development, and future 
opportunities; 
(d) the child’s views, having regard to age and evolving capacities; 
(e) immediate protective needs, including safe shelter and supervised 
custody where required; and 
(f) any other factor necessary to secure the child's dignity, autonomy and 
welfare. 
(3) No child shall be treated as an offender merely by reason of being a 
contracting party to a child marriage. 
(4) In any proceedings under this Act where a contracting party who  is a 
child has been taken, enticed, induced, coerced, trafficked or otherwise removed 
from lawful guardianship for the purpose of marriage, the Court shall not treat the 
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mere statement or purported consent of such child to reside with or accompany the 
adult contracting party as determinative of custody, residence or protective orders. 
(5) In cases under this Act, the Court shall conduct an independent and 
reasoned assessment of the child's safety, welfare and best interests, having regard 
to: 
(a) the circumstances in which the child was removed or taken; 
(b) any element of coercion, undue influence, intimidation, deception, 
grooming or abuse; 
(c) the age, vulnerability and evolving capacity of the child; 
(d) the likelihood of continued harm, exploitation or retaliation; and 
(e) the necessity of protective custody, safe shelter, counseling or 
supervised arrangements. 
(6) No finding of voluntary consent by a child shall, by itself defeat the 
protective jurisdiction of the Court under this Act. 
(7) The Court shall prioritize the physical safety, mental well-being, dignity, 
education and long -term development of the child over any claim based on marital 
status, customary practice or alleged consent. 
(8) The Government may, by rules, prescribe child -friendly procedures for 
recording statements and providing protection and support services to a child in 
proceedings under this Act. 
14. Power to make rules .– The Government may, by notification in the official 
Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act.  
15. Repeal and saving .– (1) The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 (XIX of 
1929) and the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026 (I of 2026) are 
hereby repealed. 
(2) All orders made and decisions taken under the repealed Act and 
repealed Ordinance, shall be deemed to have been validly made and taken under 
the Act.