In a major development, the High Court of United Kingdom has declared the new immigration criterion that mates from abroad should not be less than 21 years, illegal. However, the Prime Minister of the country was quoted as saying that the new rule would remarkably cut down on the number of forced weddings.

Delivering the ruling of the court, the concerned judge was quoted as saying that he would admit that the change in the set of laws were logically linked to the goals of preventing forced weddings. However, the number of forced marriages which it prevented still remained very controversial. He added that what appeared rather unambiguous was that the number of unforced weddings, which it obstructed from their projected development for a period of three years or so, greatly surpassed the number of forced weddings which it actually put a check to.

Meanwhile, unhappy with the verdict of the court, the Immigration Minister of the country was quoted as saying that it was yet another very unacceptable court verdict, which not only reversed an existing policy, but which also was not consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the other nations of Europe.

He added that the judges themselves were unanimous that swelling the visa age involving marriage had a legitimate aim. The minster went on to add that the decision of the court was not likely to be in the overall interest of the susceptible people who may well be coerced into tying nuptials much against their wishes, in an illegal manner.