Minor girl abducted again by ‘same sex partner’: alleges father; HC considers roping in CBI

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday said that it would consider roping in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the father of an Unnao girl told the high court that his minor daughter had been again allegedly abducted by the 23-year-old woman, who earlier had claimed that she was minor’s same-sex partner.
“…if allegations of father of alleged detenue are assumed to be correct, which otherwise at this stage also prima facie seems to be a case of abduction particularly during the pendency of the present petition wherein this court is seized of the issue in hand the abduction of minor who was taken into custody by her parents in court, is shocking which demonstrates the total failure of machinery and enforcing law and order,” the bench of justice Sandeep Moudgil observed asking Central Bureau of India (CBI) counsel to assist the court on Thursday on the question of territorial jurisdiction as the alleged abduction admittedly has taken place at Unnao, Uttar Pradesh and also the fact that the woman who is being accused of abduction is residing in Panchkula.
The court added that it was contemplating to handover the probe to CBI due to “the laxity and casual approach of the police agencies” and in view of the fact that life of a minor girl is at stake, who had been abducted from her house after her custody was given to the parents in the court.
The case initially came to the fore in December, when the 23-year-old woman approached high court on December 27 and claimed that the Unnao girl was not a minor and was forcefully detained by her parents as they were against the girls living together. She had moved a plea seeking that she be produced in the court. The Unnao girl was produced in the court along with her parents.
Subsequently, it came to light that the Unnao girl was a minor and born in 2007 as per her school certificates and the Aadhaar card which was produced in court by the woman in question to show the girl as an adult, was fake and was prepared after changing the minor girl’s date of birth from 2007 to 2004.
The court on January 15, after these documents came to light, had given custody to minor’s parents. However, proceedings against the 23-year-old woman were still pending.
However, as the hearing began on Wednesday, the father of the minor girl appeared before the court and stated that his daughter has been again abducted on February 4 and the 23-year-old came with three others and abducted the minor when he was away for work. Since then her whereabouts are not known. He had told the court that he had made a complaint to the local police and also informed the Panchkula police, where the minor was abducted last year also and an FIR stood registered. The Panchkula police, when asked had told the court that due to jurisdiction issues, it can’t act in this case.
“This court has been compelled to explore the aforesaid step (roping in CBI) particularly in the light of allegations levelled by the father of the minor girl ….. naming the present petitioner .. (23-year-old woman) abducting the daughter and when the woman was called upon in person, she showed total ignorance,” the bench further recorded posting the matter for further hearing on Thursday.