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Question 16 of 17 · Socio-Religious Reform Movements
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The Native Marriage Act (Special Marriage Act), which legalised inter-caste marriages and fixed a minimum age for marriage among those who did not profess any recognised religion (such as members of the Brahmo Samaj), was passed in:

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Answer: Option B — 1872

Detailed Solution

The Native Marriage Act, also known as the Special Marriage Act or the Civil Marriage Act (Act III of 1872), was passed in 1872.

About the Act:

  • It provided for a civil form of marriage for those who were willing to declare that they did not profess any of the recognised religions (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain).
  • It legalised inter-caste and inter-religious marriages under this form.
  • It fixed the minimum age of marriage at 14 for girls and 18 for boys.
  • It prohibited polygamy (a person could not marry while his or her spouse was alive).
  • It allowed widows to remarry.
  • It required the marriage to be registered before a registrar.

The role of the Brahmo Samaj:

  • The Act was passed mainly because of the efforts of Keshab Chandra Sen and his followers in the Brahmo Samaj of India.
  • They wanted a legal form of marriage that did not involve Hindu rituals, as they rejected idol worship and caste.
  • The Act came to be known popularly as the "Brahmo Marriage Act".

Controversy:

  • In 1878, Keshab Chandra Sen married his young daughter, who was below the age fixed by the Act, to the prince of Cooch Behar, with Hindu rites.
  • This was seen as going against the principles he had preached, and many of his followers left him and formed the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (1878).

Later laws:

  • The Age of Consent Act (1891) raised the age of consent for girls to 12.
  • The Special Marriage Act (1954) replaced the 1872 Act in independent India, allowing persons of any religion to marry under a civil form without renouncing their religion.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗1856 was the year of the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act.
  • ✗1891 was the year of the Age of Consent Act.
  • ✗1929 was the year of a later child marriage law.

Quick tip

Remember: Native Marriage Act (Brahmo Marriage Act) = 1872 (Keshab Chandra Sen; civil marriage; minimum age 14 for girls, 18 for boys); Age of Consent Act = 1891; Special Marriage Act = 1954.

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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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