The Delhi High Court has recently been informed by Delhi Police that the 16-year-old girl who had gone missing on March 17 had been found in Amritsar and is currently lodged at Prayas Shelter Home in New Delhi. The girl joined the court proceedings from the shelter home itself. The court was informed that she left her parental home due to some differences with her parents.
The court found it appropriate not to record the same in its orders and passed directions that she should continue staying at the shelter home till further orders.
The bench of Justices Anup Jairam Bhambhani and Jasmeet Singh was hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by the mother of the girl. The girl had been missing for over three months.
According to the police, when they recovered the 16-year-old girl (‘K’) from Amritsar, it was discovered that she had eloped with a boy in the same age group. The Section 164 statement of the boy states that they eloped because the girl feared that her parents would not approve of their relationship.
The court noted in its order: “We have interacted with ‘K’; who has expressed herself clearly to say that she does not wish to join the company of her parents by reason of what has conspired in the past. Although ‘K’ has given the court a background of why she left her parental home, we do not wish to record those reasons in the order so as not to vitiate matters.”
The order further stated: “Upon a consideration of the present situation, we direct that, for the present ‘K’ shall continue to be housed at the Prayas Shelter Home; and the petitioner/‘K’s’ mother shall be permitted to meet ‘K’ at the Prayas Shelter Home, as often as she may desire, but at least thrice between now and the next date of hearing, at a time of a mutual convenience of the petitioner as well as ‘K’. This is being done in an effort to ease the relationship between ‘K’ and her parents.”
The matter will be taken up next on July 7 before the roster bench.
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On the previous date, the Counsel, appearing for the GNCTD had argued that this could be a case of human trafficking and the case shall be transferred to the Human Trafficking Unit, Crime Branch.
Source: ILNS