Adult girl has the right to move as per her wish : Bombay high court

Mumbai : The Bombay High Court ordered the Thane police to give police protection to a couple and take them to their home. The couple, who belong to two different religions, got married in December. On this, the father of a girl had sought help from Bombay High Court and said that his daughter should be returned to him.

The girl told the division bench of Justice SS Shinde and Justice Manish Patle that she wants to live with her husband. The division bench said, “The Supreme Court has said that inter-caste marriages should be promoted to bring uniformity in the society.”

Justice Shinde further said, “There are 3000 sects and religions in the country. After every 25 kilometers, different types of people are found living. 130 crore people live together in this country.”

What was the case?
The father of a 19-year-old girl filed a Habeas Corpusm petition in the Bombay High Court. The father told the court that because of the Covid-19 lockdown, his daughter lived mostly at home. On her wish, she was engaged to a man on 6 December 2020. His daughter was happy with the engagement and took part in shopping for clothes and jewelry.

He said that at 9:30 in the morning of 30 December 2020, the daughter went out of the house by telling her mother that she was going to the tailor. When the girl did not reach home even after several hours, the family started searching for her. When she was not found, they informed the Khadakpada police station. The senior police officer there told them to wait for 24 hours.

On the same evening, some policemen from Khadakpada police station informed the girl’s family members that she got married to an inter-religion man and was living with her husband’s family. The father said in the petition filed in the High Court that his daughter should be brought back to his family and a case should be registered against the boy.

What did the court say?
The Bombay High Court refused to intervene in the matter and ordered, “We want to make it clear that the girl has the right to act for herself, on her own will.”