Unbelievable that police in two states cannot trace the woman: Bombay High Court

The woman’s husband said she was detained by her father because he did not agree with their inter-caste marriage.

Bombay:

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday summoned the Maharashtra Police in connection with a “superficial” investigation to trace a woman who went missing after she left for Rajasthan three months ago, leaving behind her child.

A division bench comprising justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande directed the Kolhapur police commissioner to coordinate with his counterpart in Jalod in Rajasthan to ensure that the woman is found and produced before the court on June 20.

The bench said it was “unbelievable that the police machinery of two states, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, was unable to trace the woman.”

The bench was hearing a habeas corpus (person producing in court) petition filed by the husband of a woman from Kolhapur.

The man claimed that his wife was detained by her father because he did not agree with their inter-caste marriage.

According to the complaint, the couple got married in February 2022 and gave birth to a daughter in November 2023.

In February this year, the woman was informed by a family member that her father was unwell and wanted to see her.

The woman went to Rajasthan to meet her father, leaving her little son in the care of her husband. However, when she did not return and he could not contact her, the man filed a complaint with the police and then went to court.

Last month, the high court had directed Kolhapur police to go to Rajasthan to trace her whereabouts.

On Tuesday, the police lawyer told the court that the police visited the woman’s residence in Rajasthan but did not find her.

The police recorded statements of the woman’s grandparents, who were in the house, and neighbors.

However, the court found that merely recording the grandparents’ testimony was not enough.

– Should we tell the police how to ask questions? Grandpa said she wasn’t there, so you came back? stated the court.

The court said the police should have taken into account the infant who had been without his mother for three months.

“It’s hard to believe that police in two states failed to find the girl. It’s unbelievable. Your (police) methodology is simple. You go and ask your grandparents. Is this the way? When did the police become polite?” – asked the bench.

“After the court verdict, the phones (of the woman and her parents) are turned off. Don’t know how to track it? I thought the Maharashtra police were the best. Have mercy on a three-month-old child without his mother,” the court said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)