A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi last week directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure her safety till the matter is heard next week.
The Supreme Court came to the aid of a 26-year-old woman from Jammu and Kashmir who was being forced by her parents to get married to a man from within their the family who used to sexually molest her.
Kept under detention and with nowhere left to go, the woman, a student of MSc Biotechnology at Srinagar University, approached the SC through her friend, Seema Bhoria. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi last week directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure her safety till the matter is heard next week.
Lodged at Government-run Nari Niketan at Srinagar, the woman, said through her friend that she faced a threat to her life as her maternal uncles are well-connected with good contacts in police and the administration. It was for this reason, her parents were forcing her to marry Rashid Ahmad Dar, who is already married. She also complained against her other uncle, Raees Ahmad Dar.
The woman's lawyer, Aditi Gupta, mentioned the petition for urgent orders to the CJI-headed bench telling the Court that the woman's life was at risk. At the Nari Niketan where she is lodged, the man who was her alleged molester, gained free access to the shelter home and even beat her up. Despite this incident, there was no action taken against the culprits. She claimed that being wealthy, her uncles exercised tremendous clout over the police and local administration. Even her parents were afraid to speak against the uncles, who are married, have children and are above 40 years of age.
On September 20, when the victim was beaten up, the police did not register a complaint. Even the girl's parents Muktar Ahmad Pehelwan and Quensar Shamin, turned a blind eye to all complaints of sexual abuse by their daughter and instead, forced her to marry Rashid.
The strange facts of the case made the Court take note and pass urgent orders. The bench saw the mail sent by the victim to her friend on October 1 and again another one sent on October 4. The letters spoke of the atrocity faced by the biotechnology student that moved the bench, also comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph, to compassion.
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