Prasad Nagar case: Court tells police to intensify hunt for sexually assaulted teen
The Delhi High Court has ordered the Anti-Kidnapping Cell to trace a boy who has been missing since January this year.
The Delhi High Court has ordered the Anti-Kidnapping Cell to trace a boy who has been missing since January this year. The boy and his siblings,including a 13-year-old girl,were involved in a case where they were repeatedly subjected to sexual assaults over a period of 18 months by their school taxi driver and some juvenile offenders.
The 14-year-old boy had gone missing from Prasad Nagar on January 3,following which the mother lodged a complaint with the local police and wrote letters to the Child Welfare Committee as well as the Delhi Police Commissioner. Though the mother claimed that the crime could have been committed by the same person who had been sexually assaulting them,an investigation failed to yield any result.
Left with no alternative,she moved the High Court through Kiran Singh,an advocate provided to her by the Delhi Legal Services Authority,and filed a habeas corpus petition,seeking an order for the police to produce her son in court.
Though a division bench of Justices B D Ahmed and Veena Birbal sought a status report from the local police,they drew a blank. The two status reports elaborated on the line of investigation,and claimed that all possible avenues had been looked into. The boy’s photograph had even been published in a newspaper but to no avail,the report added.
Dissatisfied with the probe,the mother filed another petition before the bench,asking for transfer of the probe to a more responsible agency. “The matter pertains to the life of the petitioner’s son and any delay in diligently looking into the matter could turn disastrous for a mother. The petitioner (mother) has already suffered enough and if her son goes missing,not only she would be morally devastated but the prosecution’s case before the trial court would also get adversely affected,” Singh argued before the bench.
Appreciating the contention,the bench asked the authorities to expedite the process of tracking her son. “After considering the submissions made by the counsel for the parties,we are of the view that the investigation of the case be transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Cell,Crime Branch. The transfer should take effect immediately,” it ordered.
Speaking to Newsline,the mother said she was “shocked” by the laxity of the police. The “lackadaisical” approach of the police had forced her to move the High Court,she added.
“I am certain that my son is alive,and will come back one day. The police,however,has not done enough. If they had worked diligently,my son could have been with me,and we could have pieced together our life again,” she said.
The shocking incident came to light in September last year after the woman,a single mother who used to make both ends meet by running a small paying guest business in Karol Bagh,lodged a complaint regarding the incident.
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