Viral Kumbh Mela girl’s birth certificate forged by father, says Kerala govt; TVM court stays private petition

The prosecution on Monday told a POCSO court in Thiruvananthapuram that the father of the viral “Kumbh Mela girl” had misused the birth records of her younger sibling under “external pressure” to obtain documents indicating that she was a minor at the time of her marriage.

Presenting its arguments, public prosecutor J K Ajith Prasad contended that a fabricated birth certificate was used to falsely portray the girl as underage and to implicate certain political leaders in the complaint.

Taking note of these submissions, POCSO Court judge M P Shibu stayed further proceedings in a private petition that alleged the girl was a minor at the time of her marriage. The court also observed that a related case is under investigation in Madhya Pradesh and sought a report from the state police. The matter has been posted for further hearing on May 20.

According to the prosecution, the girl had attained 18 years of age at the time of her marriage on March 11, 2026. To support this claim, multiple documents were produced before the court, including an Aadhaar card issued on May 20, 2015, when she was seven years old, a renewed Aadhaar card dated January 6, 2026, as well as her election ID, PAN card, ration card, voter list entry, birth certificate and marriage certificate.

The prosecution further alleged that on March 18, 2026, the girl’s father applied to the Madhya Pradesh Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) seeking cancellation of her birth certificate. It claimed that hospital records of the girl’s younger sibling were misused to obtain a new birth certificate indicating that she was a minor at the time of marriage.

The controversy began on March 1, when the girl—who had gained attention on social media during the Kumbh Mela—married actor Farman Khan at a temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The wedding drew widespread attention due to its interfaith nature and the presence of prominent political leaders.

Senior CPM leaders, including state secretary M V Govindan and General Education Minister V Sivankutty, attended the ceremony, describing it as a reflection of Kerala’s secular ethos.

Soon after the wedding, the girl’s family in Madhya Pradesh alleged that she was a minor. While the couple submitted documents in Kerala indicating she was 18, her family claimed she was 16.

Following the complaint, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) intervened and conducted an inquiry. The commission reportedly cited hospital records from Madhya Pradesh indicating her date of birth as December 30, 2009, and concluded that the marriage was illegal.

However, this finding contrasts with the document verification carried out by Kerala’s Local Self Government Department during the registration of the marriage.

The NCST launched an inquiry and directed the Madhya Pradesh Police to register a case against Farmaan Khan under the POCSO Act for allegedly marrying a minor. Fearing arrest, Farman Khan approached the Kerala High Court, which granted interim protection from arrest till May 20. Meanwhile, the MP Police team reached Kochi last week to conduct a probe into the matter.