Kerala–MP face off over ‘viral Kumbh girl’ marriage as DGP to appear before national panel

Kerala DGP will defend the legality of a viral ‘Kumbh Mela girl’ marriage before the National Commission, asserting she is an adult. The case has sparked a Kerala–Madhya Pradesh police clash over age proof, legality, and jurisdiction

Thiruvananthapuram: A high-stakes inter-state confrontation is set to unfold on Wednesday as Kerala’s Director General of Police (DGP) Ravada Chandrasekhar appears before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in New Delhi, firmly defending the legality of the marriage involving the viral ‘Kumbh Mela girl’.

Kerala Police maintain that there has been no procedural lapse and that the marriage is legally valid, asserting that the girl had attained 18 years at the time of the wedding held on March 11 at a temple in Poovar, Thiruvananthapuram.

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The DGP is expected to present documentary evidence to counter claims by the Madhya Pradesh Police and the girl’s family that she is a minor.

According to Kerala, age-proof records submitted before the police and local self-government authorities were scientifically verified and found genuine before granting permission for the marriage.

The case has escalated into a direct clash between the policing systems of the two states, with Madhya Pradesh invoking charges including those under the POCSO Act and alleging abduction.

Kerala, however, is set to argue that such charges are untenable, citing Supreme Court rulings that uphold an adult’s right to choose a partner.

Kerala Police will also inform the Commission that the girl is not missing, as alleged by Madhya Pradesh authorities, but is currently in Kerala and under discreet police observation.

Officials say she is safe, and protection can be extended at any time if required.

Adding a new dimension, the girl’s husband has disclosed that she is pregnant, making long-distance travel medically inadvisable.

Kerala is likely to seek permission for her statement to be recorded via video conferencing if the Commission insists on her deposition.

A key point of contention remains the authenticity of age-related documents.

A birth certificate issued by the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat in June 2025 places her date of birth as January 1, 2008, making her over 18 at the time of marriage. But the same certificate was reportedly cancelled after the controversy erupted, raising questions over procedural consistency.

Kerala has so far refused to hand over the girl, stressing its constitutional obligation to protect her personal liberty.

With the Commission’s stand likely to shape the legal trajectory, Wednesday’s hearing is expected to draw national attention as a decisive test of jurisdiction, legality and individual rights.