In a writ petition filed before the Orissa High Court by a father alleging inaction and an apathetic attitude shown by the police administration in failing to trace out his daughter despite a First Information Report (FIR) lodged in this regard, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Murahari Sri Raman took note of the girl’s displeasure with her forced marriage and issued directions for the girl to be returned to her place of abode.
The petitioner had given his daughter in marriage, and thereafter, she had gone missing, which led to the lodging of the FIR. Previously, the Court had directed the State to disclose the steps taken to recover the girl, to which it was submitted that the Investigating Officer had contacted her with the help of the cyber cell. She informed the IO that she had gone to Indore and that she did not intend to return. The daughter also revealed that she was unhappy with the forced marriage and was happily living in Indore while being employed in a private company.
Thereafter, as per the Court’s directions, the police administration produced the girl before the Court. She went on to disclose that she neither wished to live with her husband nor with her parents, as she was earning her own livelihood and capable of making her own decisions.
The Court stated that the girl’s decision is paramount and her consent must be obtained before any decision is taken. It was said that when a girl is not ready for marriage, getting her married forcibly is not conducive to a healthy society, and that a sensitization programme must be conducted by the administration to eradicate parents’ imposing their decision on the children.
The Court directed the Inspector-in-Charge to return the girl to her respective place and to ensure that no interference or obstruction is made by the parents or the husband. The Police were directed to ensure the girl’s safety and to take immediate steps in the event of any incident being reported.
Thus, the petition was disposed of.
