Record statement of girl fearing honour killing: Bombay High Court to cops

The Bombay High Court today directed the Pune police to record the statement of a girl who approached the HC seeking protection from her family who she fears will kill her for eloping and marrying a boy from a different religion.

The 21-year-old girl, belonging to the Sikh community, petitioned the High Court along with her Sindhi husband seeking police protection and immunity from an alleged false case of cheating and theft registered against them by the girl's father in Pimpri police station.

A division bench of Justices N H Patil and Revati M Dere was today informed by prosecutor K V Saste that the Pimpri police has recorded the statement of the girl's father. "The father in his statement has said that he is worried that his daughter has been duped into the marriage so as to usurp his property. The father has assured the police that if he is satisfied that the girl has married on her own will then he would not do anything further," Saste said.

The prosecutor added that the police wanted to record the statement of the girl to ascertain this. Petitioners' advocate Mahesh Vaswani agreed to this but said the girl's statement should be recorded in Mumbai itself as if she goes to Pimpri, there is a chance that she might be executed. "The Pimpri police shall record the statement of the girl on November 21 at the Azad Maidan police station in south Mumbai. A lady constable shall be present at the time of her statement being recorded," the court directed.

The newly married couple from Pune, who is now staying in Mumbai, claimed that the girl's father has contacts in high places and fear that he might kill them to protect his family's honour. However, her father, who has filed a missing person's complaint at the Pimpri police station, alleged that she has taken cash and jewellery worth a total Rs 18 lakh.

According to the petition, the duo met five years back while studying in a college in Pune and fell in love. The couple got married at a temple in Nashik on October 30 and since then have been in hiding.