Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: The Tripura High Court ordered the immediate release of a minor girl held from her parents for nearly four months. Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice S. Datta Purakayastha issued the directive Wednesday. Authorities must hand the girl back to her parents now.
The girl hails from Gandacherra in the Dhalai district. Advocate Purrosottam Roy Barman, representing the father, stated the conflict began on May 23. A group of women allegedly assaulted the girl at her home. The father filed an FIR at the Gandacherra Police Station following the attack.
Barman alleged that police removed the girl from her residence in early June despite protests from her parents. Officials then placed her under the custody of the Dhalai Child Welfare Committee. The father sought her return from the Dhalai District Magistrate, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and the committee repeatedly. He received no effective response.
The father filed a habeas corpus petition to force the issue. During the hearing, the state failed to show a legal reason for keeping the girl from her family. Barman argued, "provisions and procedures under the Juvenile Justice Act had not been followed." The girl has been living at a home in Abhaynagar, Agartala.
The High Court ordered the state government to file an affidavit addressing these claims. While this release is an interim move, the court will continue to examine the actions of officials involved. The case returns to court in the second week of November.
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