LUCKNOW: The
Lucknow bench of
Allahabad high court directed state government to lay before it figures of minor girl victims of any crime lodged in women protection homes in UP. It also asked how many girls attained majority during stay and told the government to place before it the policy for their release then, because a major girl cannot be housed against her will.
A division bench of justices DK Upadhyay and
DK Singh passed the order in course of hearing of a ha beas corpuspetition. The court directed principal secretary, home, and principal secretary, child and woman welfare, to
file affidavits within three weeks.
A girl’s father had lodged an FIR in 2014 accusing a man of luring away his minor girl. Since the girl did not want to go with her parents, the magistrate sent her to protection home. When she turned major, the man filed a petition saying that she cannot be detained against her will now.
The court noted that many girls remain lodged in protection home until a habeas corpus petition is filed. Considering it an issue of public interest, the court directed the senior registrar to register the matter as PIL and place it before
appropriate court.
