UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — HC upholds uniform legal marriage age for all religions

Q1. With reference to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The minimum age of marriage for males is fixed at 21 years.
  2. A child marriage is voidable at the option of the contracting party who was a child at the time of the marriage.
  3. Child Marriage Prohibition Officers appointed under the Act are deemed to be public servants.
  4. The power to stop or prevent the solemnisation of a child marriage vests exclusively in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and not in the District Magistrate.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q2. With reference to the child-marriage law framework in India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Under the 2006 Act, a person married below the minimum age may seek annulment of the marriage within two years of attaining majority.
  2. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposes raising the minimum marriage age for women to 21 years.
  3. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.
  4. Every child marriage solemnised in contravention of the 2006 Act is automatically void from its inception.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q3. With reference to the recent Allahabad High Court judgment holding that the statutory minimum marriage age applies to all citizens irrespective of religion, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The petitioners invoked the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 in support of marriage at puberty.
  2. The petitioners also relied on the Indian Majority Act, 1875.
  3. The Court held that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act applies uniformly to every citizen irrespective of religion.
  4. The Court held that the Special Marriage Act, 1954 overrides the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in determining the marriage age.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q4. Which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry responsible for the implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006?

  • A. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • B. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Law and Justice

Q5. In the High Court disputes over whether the marriage of a Muslim minor is valid, the phrase 'uncodified personal law' most precisely refers to:

  • A. religiously derived rules of marriage, succession and divorce that courts apply even though they have not been enacted as a parliamentary statute
  • B. a body of customary rules that has been consolidated into a single Act of Parliament
  • C. rules framed by the National Commission for Minorities under delegated legislation
  • D. international treaty obligations that are directly enforceable in Indian courts

Q6. In the line of High Court rulings that treated a Muslim girl's marriage as governed by personal law, a girl was, in the absence of contrary evidence, presumed to have attained puberty (and hence marriageable competence) on completing how many years of age?

  • A. 12 years
  • B. 15 years
  • C. 16 years
  • D. 18 years

Q7. Under the POCSO Act, 2012 (as amended), the offence of aggravated penetrative sexual assault is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term that shall not be less than how many years?

  • A. 7 years
  • B. 10 years
  • C. 14 years
  • D. 20 years

Q8. With reference to how the POCSO Act, 2012 compares with the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The POCSO Act is gender-neutral and recognises any person below 18 as a potential victim, whereas the child-marriage offence under the PCMA is defined with different minimum ages for males and females.
  2. Under the POCSO Act, the consent of a person below 18 years is always irrelevant to the commission of the offence.
  3. The POCSO Act, unlike the PCMA, is administered exclusively by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. With reference to the Uniform Civil Code in India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Article 44, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India.
  2. Goa follows a common civil code derived from the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867.
  3. Uttarakhand became the first State to enact a Uniform Civil Code, which came into force in 2025.
  4. The 21st Law Commission's 2018 consultation paper recommended the immediate enactment of a nationwide Uniform Civil Code.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q10. Which one of the following was the first State in India to bring a Uniform Civil Code into force through a fresh legislative enactment after Independence?

  • A. Uttarakhand
  • B. Goa
  • C. Gujarat
  • D. Madhya Pradesh

Q11. As the general rule applicable to the largest class of persons under Section 3 of the Majority Act, 1875, every person domiciled in India is deemed to attain majority on completing which age?

  • A. 18 years
  • B. 21 years
  • C. 16 years
  • D. 15 years

Q12. Which one of the following is the principal operative provision of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 that makes Shariat the rule of decision for Muslims in matters such as marriage, succession and dower?

  • A. Section 2
  • B. Section 3
  • C. Section 5
  • D. Section 1