MADURAI
Hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by a 24-year-old woman seeking a direction to set at liberty her 19-year-old friend, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed that the woman, a major, could choose where she wanted to live.
A division bench of Justices C.T. Selvam and A.M. Basheer Ahamed, hearing the plea of Julia who sought the release of the 19-year-old woman observed that she could not be forced to live at a place against her will, set her at liberty and sought a compliance report in the case.
The petitioner said she along with her friend were among the 89 girl children living under the care of Pastor Gideon Jacob at his child care home Mose Ministries in Tiruchi. The girls, particularly from Usilampatti, were adopted by the home after they were abandoned by their families, she claimed.
Disposing of a writ petition, the Madurai Bench directed the CBI to investigate the functioning of the home and file a report after it emerged that the home was unregistered. With the report pending, the Department of Social Welfare was directed to set at liberty those who had attained majority and place minor girls in Nagammai Illam, a home for children, under the department’s monitoring.
The petitioner claimed that her friend remained in Nagammai Illam even after attaining majority. Julia claimed that her friend wished to be set free.