Dolly & ANR v. Commissioner Of Police & ORS
$~25 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(CRL) 51/2019 & Crl. M.A. No.348/2019 DOLLY & ANR ..... Petitioners Through:
Ms. Pinaki, Mr. Sohan Goyal and Ms. Sharda Garg, Advocates.
Versus
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE & ORS.
..... Respondents Through:
Mr. Sanjay Lao, Additional Standing Counsel for State with SI Sandeep, P.S.
Begum Pur.
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NAJMI WAZIRI
O R D E R
% 10.01.2019 Crl. M.A. No.348/2019 (for exemption) Allowed, subject to all just exceptions.
The application stands disposed-off.
W.P.(CRL) No. 51/2019 The petitioners claim to be legal adults. They have filed photocopy of their Cards issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India as proof of their age, which shows that both of them had attained the age of majority as of the date of contracting marriage on 29.12.2018. They claim to have married each other of their free volition. However, the marriage does not meet the approval of the girl's parents, in particular, respondent No.3 - her father. They apprehend grave threat for their life, limb and liberty from him and other relatives. In the circumstances, they seek protection of this Court. It is an immutable principle of liberty in this country that adult citizens have a right to choose their life partners and to live freely in
accordance with law and for doing so no permission is required from anybody.
In the circumstances, the petitioners shall be provided due protection by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Begumpur, Delhi by the end of the day. They will be interacted with and will be provided three telephone numbers of police officers including one of the lady police officer. These numbers shall be kept operational at all times so that any exigency can be intimated on either of the numbers by the petitioners. The Court is assured by the learned counsel for the State that any message received on the said numbers or on any other telephone number of the police either by way of a telephone call or SMS shall be immediately responded to. The address of the petitioners shall not be disclosed to anybody by the police.
Additionally, the Beat Constable/Division Staff of the area shall regularly visit the residence of the petitioners on a daily basis and report the same in the Roznamcha. The safety and security of the petitioners shall be assessed by the SHO on a weekly basis with due endorsement of the same in the Roznamcha. The Beat Constable shall record entries in his Beat Book. The learned counsel for the State assures the Court that the police officer concerned, who is present in the Court will interact with the petitioners in the Court premises and he and the SHO concerned shall assure them of their safety.
Should the petitioners shift their address to the jurisdiction of any other Police Station in Delhi, the same protection shall be granted to them by the SHO of the subsequent Police Station as well. No further orders are required.
The petition stands disposed-off in terms of the above.
A copy of this order be given dasti to the learned counsel for the parties under signature of the Court Master.
NAJMI WAZIRI, J.
JANUARY 10, 2019 sb