FINALLY! Controversial serial 'Pehredar Piya Ki' that shows 9-year-old boy marrying 18-year-old woman pulled OFF-AIR!

The makers have been defending it all along, saying viewers must understand the circumstances in which the girl has to marry the child.

Sony Entertainment Television on Tuesday said it has pulled its controversial show "Pehredaar Piya Ki" off air.

Even an online petition was moved for a ban on the TV show, which has been described as having "obnoxious and perverted" content that can "severely impact impressionable minds of children".

The development was effective from Monday, according to an official statement issued on behalf of the channel on Tuesday.

The development came after a string of complaints against the show which revolved around an 18-year-old girl marrying a nine-year-old boy.

"We are pulling off our programme 'Pehredaar Piya Ki' from television. While we understand that the decision to end this serial will be disappointing to those whose creative energies are vested in it, namely, its crew and cast, we (as a channel) are convinced that we will be better served by focusing instead on developing viewer interest in our upcoming, new shows.

"Pehredaar Piya Ki", produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, went on air last month. The makers were also reportedly planning to add a forward leap to the story.

Earlier this month, the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) had directed the channel to shift the show to a late night slot, besides running it with a scroll stating that it does not promote the concept of child marriage.

An episode showing a suhagrat sequence had also surfaced, causing outrage among the viewers who deemed it objectionable.

The show starred actress Tejaswi Prakash Wayangankar & child actor Affan Khan in lead roles

The TV serial that shows a 9-year-old boy stalking, falling in love with and eventually marrying an 18-year-old woman had been in news ever since its inception, surrounded by allegations of promoting child marriage.