Nearly 95 per cent of the email representations received by a parliamentary panel examining a bill to raise women’s legal age for marriage from 18 to 21 have opposed it, prompting sources in the committee to express fear that it could be part of a conspiracy to defeat the initiative.

The parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, headed by BJP member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, has received around 95,000 email representations on the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2021.

Of these, 90,000 emails that have opposed the bill have identical content and appear to have been drafted by the same source, committee sources told PTI.

It seems these emails are part of a conspiracy to defeat the purpose of this landmark legislation, the sources said.

The proposed law will apply to all communities in the country and, once enacted, will supersede existing marriage and personal laws.