Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026 (Act XXVII of 2026) came into force on 11 May 2026 and fixes a single minimum age of marriage across the Punjab: eighteen years, for a male and a female alike. It repeals the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, under which a girl could lawfully be married at sixteen, and it places direct criminal liability on the Nikah registrar, on the guardian, and on the adult who contracts the marriage. This page sets out what the Act provides, section by section, and what it means in practice.
What changed on 11 May 2026
The Act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 27 April 2026, assented to by the Governor of the Punjab on 11 May 2026, and published the same day in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary) at pages 5907 to 5910. Section 1 provides that it extends to the whole of the Punjab and comes into force at once.
Until then the Punjab applied the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, which defined a child as a male under eighteen but a female under sixteen. That distinction has been removed.
Key definitions
Child
Section 2(c) defines a child as a person, male or female, who is under eighteen years of age. There is no longer any difference between the sexes.
Child marriage
Section 2(d) defines a child marriage as an act of Nikah, or the solemnizing of a marriage, where both or either of the contracting parties is a child. Two points follow. First, the definition reaches the Nikah itself, not merely its registration. Second, it is enough that one party is under eighteen.
Guardian and Court
Section 2(i) defines a guardian as a natural guardian or a guardian appointed under the Guardians and Wards Act 1890. Section 2(g) defines the Court as the Court of Sessions under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. Section 2(b) contains a full definition of the best interests of the child, covering safety, health, education, dignity, identity and protection from abuse, exploitation and harmful practices.
Offences and punishments
Nikah registrars — section 3
Section 3(1) states that no Nikah registrar shall register a child marriage. Under section 3(2) a registrar who contravenes this is liable to simple imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of one hundred thousand rupees. The duty is personal to the registrar and it arises before the register is signed, which makes verification of age from the national identity card a matter of the registrar’s own liability.
An adult who marries a child — section 4
An adult above eighteen years of age who contracts a marriage with a child is liable to rigorous imprisonment of not less than two years and up to three years, together with a fine of up to five hundred thousand rupees. The two-year minimum is statutory.
Cohabitation as child abuse — section 5
Section 5(1) provides that any form of cohabitation before the age of eighteen resulting from a child marriage is child abuse under the Act, with or without consent. Section 5(2) punishes any person who induces, forces, persuades, entices or coerces a child bride or child groom to engage in child abuse, or who commits it, with imprisonment of not less than five years and up to seven years, and a fine of not less than one million rupees.
Child trafficking — section 6
Section 6(1) makes it the offence of child trafficking to induce, force, persuade, entice, compel or coerce a child to leave the Punjab, or to take a child beyond its territorial boundary, for the purpose of defeating or evading the Act. The punishment is five to seven years and a fine of up to one million rupees. Section 6(2) punishes recruiting, harbouring, transporting, providing or obtaining a child for that purpose with up to three years and a fine of up to five hundred thousand rupees.
This section closes the obvious loophole of moving a proposed marriage across a provincial boundary.
Parents and guardians — section 7
Section 7 reaches a guardian, or any other person acting in any capacity whether lawful or unlawful, who does any act to promote a child marriage or child abuse, who permits a child marriage to be solemnized, or who intentionally or negligently fails to prevent it. The punishment is rigorous imprisonment of not less than two years and up to three years, with a fine of up to five hundred thousand rupees.
The practical effect deserves emphasis. Parental consent does not make an underage marriage lawful. Under section 7 a consenting parent commits an offence, and so does a guardian who fails to prevent one through negligence.
Penalties at a glance
| Section | Who | Imprisonment | Fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Nikah registrar who registers a child marriage | Up to 1 year (simple) | Rs 100,000 |
| 4 | Adult who marries a child | 2 to 3 years (rigorous) | Up to Rs 500,000 |
| 5 | Cohabitation amounting to child abuse | 5 to 7 years | Not less than Rs 1,000,000 |
| 6(1) | Taking a child out of the Punjab to evade the Act | 5 to 7 years | Up to Rs 1,000,000 |
| 6(2) | Recruiting or harbouring a child for that purpose | Up to 3 years | Up to Rs 500,000 |
| 7 | Guardian who permits or fails to prevent | 2 to 3 years (rigorous) | Up to Rs 500,000 |
| 9(5) | Disobeying an injunction of the Court | Up to 1 year | Up to Rs 100,000 |
Procedure, courts and bail
Jurisdiction — section 8
Notwithstanding section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, no court other than the Court of Sessions may take cognizance of or try an offence under the Act. These are not family court matters.
Injunctions to prevent a marriage — section 9
Where the Court is satisfied on information laid before it by application that a child marriage is going to be arranged, it may issue an injunction. If the person laying the information asks that their identity be kept hidden from the contracting parties or from a parent or guardian, the Court shall adopt appropriate measures to protect it. An injunction is not normally issued without notice and an opportunity to show cause, although the Court may dispense with notice if it considers it necessary. The Court may rescind or alter an injunction on its own motion or on application, and must record written reasons if it rejects such an application wholly or in part. Knowingly disobeying an injunction carries up to one year, or a fine of up to one hundred thousand rupees, or both.
Bail and compounding — section 10
Notwithstanding the Code, every offence under the Act is cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. A complaint cannot be settled privately between the families.
Trial within ninety days — section 11
Once the Court takes cognizance it must proceed with the trial and conclude it within ninety days. Section 12 applies the Code of Criminal Procedure mutatis mutandis in all other respects.
The best interests of the child — section 13
Section 13 requires the best interests of the child to be a primary consideration in every action and decision under the Act, including prevention, investigation, prosecution, bail, sentencing and protective injunctions. The Court must consider the child’s safety and protection from violence, intimidation, retaliation and social stigma; physical and mental health, including risks arising from cohabitation or pregnancy; the right to education, development and future opportunities; the child’s own views having regard to age and evolving capacities; and immediate protective needs such as safe shelter or supervised custody.
Three provisions are worth setting out separately, because they change how a case is decided:
- Section 13(3) — no child is to be treated as an offender merely by reason of being a contracting party to a child marriage.
- Section 13(4) — where 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 child’s mere statement or purported consent to reside with or accompany the adult as determinative of custody, residence or protective orders.
- Section 13(6) — no finding of voluntary consent by a child shall, by itself, defeat the protective jurisdiction of the Court.
Under section 13(5) the Court must make an independent and reasoned assessment of the circumstances in which the child was removed, any element of coercion, undue influence, intimidation, deception, grooming or abuse, the age and vulnerability of the child, the likelihood of continued harm, and the necessity of protective custody or supervised arrangements. Section 13(7) requires the Court to prioritise the child’s safety, well-being, dignity, education and long-term development over any claim based on marital status, customary practice or alleged consent.
What the Act repeals — section 15
Section 15(1) repeals both the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 (XIX of 1929) and the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026 (I of 2026). Section 15(2) saves all orders made and decisions taken under the repealed Act and Ordinance, which are deemed to have been validly made under the new Act.
The 1929 Act therefore no longer operates in the Punjab at all. Any advice, form or website still citing sixteen years for a female in the Punjab is citing a repealed law.
How the Punjab compares with the rest of Pakistan
| Jurisdiction | Minimum age | Governing statute |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 18 for both | Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, in force 11 May 2026 |
| Sindh | 18 for both | Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013 |
| Islamabad Capital Territory | 18 for both | Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 18 male, 16 female | Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 |
The position in Balochistan should be confirmed against the current provincial statute before advice is given in an individual case.
One consequence is worth noting for clients in the twin cities. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are governed by different statutes — the Islamabad Capital Territory Act 2025 and the Punjab Act 2026 respectively — although both now set the same age of eighteen.
What this means in practice
- An age check is no longer a formality. Under section 3 the Nikah registrar carries personal criminal liability, so the national identity cards of both parties should be seen and the verification recorded.
- A family cannot consent its way around the Act. Section 7 makes the permitting or negligent guardian an offender in his or her own right.
- Because offences are non-compoundable under section 10, a case once registered cannot be withdrawn by agreement between the families.
- Moving the ceremony to another province is itself an offence under section 6.
- A child party to such a marriage is a protected person, not an accused, under section 13(3).
None of this affects a marriage between two adults. Where both parties are eighteen or over, the ordinary requirements of a valid Nikah and its registration with the Nikah Registrar and the Union Council are unchanged.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum age of marriage in the Punjab in 2026?
Eighteen years for both a male and a female, under section 2(c) of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, in force since 11 May 2026.
Can parents consent to the marriage of a girl under eighteen in the Punjab?
No. Section 7 makes a guardian who permits, promotes or negligently fails to prevent a child marriage liable to rigorous imprisonment of two to three years and a fine of up to five hundred thousand rupees.
Is the offence bailable?
No. Section 10 provides that every offence under the Act is cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.
Can a child marriage be stopped before it takes place?
Yes. Under section 9 the Court of Sessions may issue an injunction on information laid before it, and may protect the identity of the person who reported the matter.
Does the Act punish the child?
No. Section 13(3) provides that no child is to be treated as an offender merely by reason of being a contracting party to a child marriage.
Does the 1929 Act still apply in the Punjab?
No. Section 15(1) repeals the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 and the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026 for the Punjab.
Source and review
Prepared from the text of the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026 (Act XXVII of 2026) as published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary) of 11 May 2026 at pages 5907 to 5910 by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department, Government of the Punjab.
Last reviewed: 9 September 2026.
This page is a general note on legislation and is not legal advice. The application of the Act to any particular marriage, family or registrar depends on the facts. Please take advice on your own case before acting.