Bardiya District Court has sentenced six individuals to imprisonment in five child marriage cases. The Bardiya District Government Attorney’s Office had filed eight child marriage cases in the fiscal years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, against 10 individuals. Among these, six have been sentenced to imprisonment in five cases. In one case, two individuals have been involved, while verdicts are yet to be issued in two other cases according to Bardiya District Court Registrar Kapil Paudel.
As per the Civil and Criminal Code of Nepal 2017 it is prohibited for anyone to marry or arrange a marriage if either party has not reached the age of 20. Marriages conducted in violation of this law are automatically void, and individuals involved in such illegal acts are subject to up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 30,000.