<p>A girl's decision to annul her marriage which was solemnised in her infancy has invited the wrath of the village panchayat which has slapped a hefty fine of Rs 16 lakh and banished the family from the community.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Santadevi Meghwal, belonging to Rohichan Khurd village in Luni tehsil here, decided to call off her marriage which was finalised when she was 11-month-old.<br /><br />Her decision irked the village panchayat which imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on her and banished her family from the community, she claimed.<br /><br />"My decision (to call off the marriage) incensed my in- laws and they resorted to every tactic to pressurise us to continue with the marriage by issuing varied threats."When I did not give in, they (panchayat) slapped a penalty of Rs 16 lakh on us and ostracised my family," said Santadevi.<br /><br />The girl, who learnt about her child marriage about three years back, is studying in college and has contacted a trust for legal recourse.<br /><br />"We are preparing for legal action against the members of the panchayat on the one hand and are also trying to counsel her in-laws to go for marriage annulment," said Kriti Bharti, Managing Trustee of the Sarathi Trust.<br /><br />Her father Padmaram, who is a mason, said he wants his daughter to be educated and set an example in society by renouncing "evil social practices".</p>
<p>A girl's decision to annul her marriage which was solemnised in her infancy has invited the wrath of the village panchayat which has slapped a hefty fine of Rs 16 lakh and banished the family from the community.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Santadevi Meghwal, belonging to Rohichan Khurd village in Luni tehsil here, decided to call off her marriage which was finalised when she was 11-month-old.<br /><br />Her decision irked the village panchayat which imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on her and banished her family from the community, she claimed.<br /><br />"My decision (to call off the marriage) incensed my in- laws and they resorted to every tactic to pressurise us to continue with the marriage by issuing varied threats."When I did not give in, they (panchayat) slapped a penalty of Rs 16 lakh on us and ostracised my family," said Santadevi.<br /><br />The girl, who learnt about her child marriage about three years back, is studying in college and has contacted a trust for legal recourse.<br /><br />"We are preparing for legal action against the members of the panchayat on the one hand and are also trying to counsel her in-laws to go for marriage annulment," said Kriti Bharti, Managing Trustee of the Sarathi Trust.<br /><br />Her father Padmaram, who is a mason, said he wants his daughter to be educated and set an example in society by renouncing "evil social practices".</p>