Member of the largest bloc, Al Wefaq, Haider Al Sitri told the parliament that the Ministry of Justice’s decision to ban girls under 15 and males below 18 from getting married without court order was unconstitutional.
He said that such decision was clear interference in the judiciary authority as the marriage and divorce affairs were handled by courts. He said that there were no verses in Quran that determine age for marriage.
The Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa defended the decision by saying that the government wasn’t interfering in the powers of the judiciary authority as parents planning to marry their younger children could seek court’s assistance.