Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court witnessed dramatic scenes on Tuesday, with a case that had all the ingredients of a Bollywood pot-boiler. A husband, in an inter-faith marriage, had approached the court with a habeas corpus plea to get back custody of his wife. The 21-year-old girl was pursuing BSc in Computer Science before she fled with the petitioner.
However, the wife had been taken back by her parents. The Yavatmal man had sought wife’s custody from her parents, who had lodged a complaint against him for allegedly luring their daughter into a trap. The petitioner contended that since both of them were major, he should be allowed to live with his wife.
After Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Vrushali Joshi consulted the girl, she expressed her desire to live with her husband. Accordingly, the court passed an order stating that since the girl was of legal age, she should be allowed to live with her husband, as per her wishes.
Following the court order, the girl’s mother fainted on the court premises. Witnessing her mother’s condition, the girl changed her mind. Later in the day, at 4.45 pm, the girl approached the court again, stating that she wanted to live with her parents.
The bench took note of her change of statement and asked her again whether she wanted to live with her husband or parents. The girl reiterated that she wanted to stay with her parents. Subsequently, the court passed another order, allowing her to go with parents as per her wish. The court directed the police to escort her to her home in Yavatmal.
Accordingly, the girl was taken to the police vehicle. However, the girl started creating drama while boarding the police vehicle. The woman police officers, along with her two relatives, somehow managed to bundle the woman into the police jeep, and the vehicle left the High Court premises. Finally, the police felt a sigh of relief.
However, according to a report, the hearing of an interfaith love marriage drew the attention of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists. Police presence swelled to maintain order as tensions ran high. The police brought the young woman before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court in response to a Habeas Corpus petition filed by a youth involved in an interfaith marriage from Ner in Yavatmal district.
Upon receiving the news, a significant number of Bajrang Dal and VHP activists gathered on the High Court premises, which resulted in an escalation in police presence.
Advocate Trupti Uddeshi represented the State, while Adv Akshay Joshi appeared for the woman’s parents.
