NEW DELHI: The Supreme court has rejected the plea to raise the age of marriage for women in the country to 21 years. A petition filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay demanding uniform age of marriage for men and women was dismissed declaring it as unconstitutional.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D V Chandrachud clarified that selecting a uniform age of marriage is within the purview of Parliament. The court said that the court cannot direct the parliament for a legislation and the duty to protect the constitution is not only for the court but also for the parliament. Currently, the age of marriage for men is 21 years and for women is 18 years.