Question

The Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed in 1829?
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

Hint: Before the introduction of this bill, other forums and bills addressing questions regarding the age of consent were presented before the Indian legislatures without no further actions granted. Later, organizations like All India Women’s Conference, Women’s Indian Association and National Council of Women in India, developed and articulated the argument in favour of raising of the age for marriage and consent before the Joshi Committee and Muslim women also presented their concerns and views to the Joshi Committee for raising the age limit of marriage.

Complete answer:
Child marriage restrained act, titled as an act to define the age of marriage in India was enacted on 28 September 1929 and commenced on 29 September 1929 by Imperial Legislative Council.
According to Child Marriage Restraint Act,
 1. A "child" is a person who, if male, is under twenty-one years of age, and if female, under eighteen years of age.
2."child marriage" is the marriage in which either of the contracting parties is a child by law.
3. "contracting party" to a marriage means either of the parties involved in the marriage [or is about to be] thereby solemnized.
4."minor” is a person of either sex under eighteen years of age.

If a person being a male above eighteen years of age and below twenty-one, is participating in child marriage will be punishable with simple imprisonment which can be extended to fifteen days, or with fine up to one thousand rupees, or with both and a person above twenty-one years of age, contracts a child marriage will be punished with simple imprisonment to three months and fine.
The Joshi Committee is the committee who studied the issue and presented the report on 20 June 1929.It was then passed by the Imperial Legislative Council on 28 September 1929 and became a law on 1 April 1930, after approval from Lord Irwin extending to the whole of British India. It fixed 14 and 18 as the marriageable age for girls and boys respectively of all communities.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: The first social change issue taken up by an organised women's group in India was the Child Marriage Restraint Act. Through picketing their delegations, carrying placards and yelling slogans, this group intimidated many lawmakers into endorsing the act. They claimed that with the passage of this act, it will show the world that India is serious about social reforms. Women in India questioned the double standards of the ancient Shastras by showing support for this act.