New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that it will hear a plea seeking a common minimum age of marriage for men and women on February 19, 2020.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice D. N. Patel and Justice C. Harishankar deferred the matter after the Centre sought more time to file response.

The Central government told the court that consultation were going on with the concerned stakeholders.

The court had asked Central government and Law Commission of India to file their responses to the plea, but neither has filed a response so far.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.

In his plea, Upadhyay held as discriminatory the fact that while the minimum age of marriage for men in the country is fixed at 21, women are allowed to get married when they are 18.

The BJP leader also said that the age distinction is based on patriarchal stereotypes and has no scientific backing.