Two days after a trial court ordered Delhi Police to find a girl who had gone missing a few days after marrying her boyfriend against the wishes of her family, the ‘‘missing girl” appeared before the court and alleged that her life was in danger.
Alleging that her parents, police and an advocate were working in connivance with each other, Chanchal Sharma told the court that the lawyer had advised her parents ‘‘to kill her as she had given a bad name to their family’’. Chanchal said she did not know the name of the lawyer but that she could identify him.
She even alleged that the investigating officer, ASI Roop Lal, not only misled the Delhi high court about her age but also ‘‘forcibly picked her up from the high court complex after the dismissal of the case and threatened her that if she did not go back with her parents, she would be sent to jail’’.
The girl refused police protection, saying ‘‘she had no faith in the police’’. Vacation Judge Kamini Lau then allowed her to stay with her husband Gaurav Sharma, on the grounds that she will inform the court about her current address which will be kept a secret for security reasons.
The court also provided her with the helpline numbers of senior police officials of Delhi Police, National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women ‘‘in case of any emergency’’.
‘‘One copy of the order is directed to be sent to all these authorities with the direction that in case of any call for help from the young couple, immediate assistance should be provided to them,’’ judge Lau said.
Taking a stern view of the role of the police and the lawyer, the court said that a probe was required into their roles. ‘‘It is rather unfortunate that the young girl has lost confidence in an institution (the police) whose duty it is to protect the life and liberty of individuals, and it is no other but the personnel of the police itself who are to be blamed,’’ it said.
‘‘Not only the role of the family of the girl and the IO required to be probed but also the role of the legal advisor to the family of the girl is required to be investigated (under intimation to the Delhi Bar Council) since it is not proper for legal practitioners to ill-advise their clients into finishing the life of another,’’ it added.
The girl, who claims that she is a major, married Gaurav Sharma on May 18 in an Arya Samaj temple in New Delhi. Her father, Kashi Ram Sharma, lodged an FIR at Vijay Vihar police station against Gaurav, alleging he had kidnapped his ‘‘minor” daughter with intent to wrongfully confine her.
Meanwhile, a letter sent to Delhi high court by vacation judge Lau informing HC about the development in the case is likely to be taken up on Monday.
Source:- The Times of India 19 June 2010 Page 6 Delhi
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