'Nata Pratha': CIC orders disclosure of report on sale of minor girls on stamp paper for marriage
>‘Nata Pratha’, a custom in which girls are “sold” on stamp paper or through informal agreements in the name of marriage, has come under renewed scrutiny, with the Central Information Commission directing the disclosure of an action taken report submitted by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to the National Human Rights Commission.
>In a recent order, Information Commissioner P R Ramesh said the ministry must revisit an RTI request and provide the action taken report it shared with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), after redacting the exempted portions.
>The NHRC, in a statement dated June 6, 2024, had taken a serious view of the practice, calling it a “social evil”.
>“The NHRC takes a serious view of ‘Nata Pratha’ under which girls in some communities are sold either on a stamp paper or otherwise in the name of marriage, having no legal sanctity in parts of Rajasthan and the adjoining areas in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat,” it had said.
>Terming the practice “unethical” and “immoral” with severe consequences for women and minor girls, the NHRC had called for the eradication of the custom.
>It had issued notices to the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the states concerned, directing them to submit action taken reports within eight weeks.
>The ministry had informed the NHRC that the practice appeared “derogatory” to women and needed to be abolished.
>The NHRC also cited a case where the father of a minor girl in Rajasthan sold her for marriage under the ‘Nata Pratha’ for Rs 2.5 lakh through a deal signed between the families in the presence of villagers.
>While an initial payment of Rs 60,000 was made, the remaining amount was not paid in time, following which the father brought the girl back and fixed her ‘Nata’ again with another man for Rs 32,000.
>The girl opposed the arrangement and returned to live with the first man. She later alleged harassment and threats by her father before committing suicide in June 2020.
