HC directs women panel,police to file affidavits for illegally detaining girl

On a habeas corpus petition filed by the family members of a girl,the Calcutta High Court today directed Malini Bhattacharjee,chairperson of the State Women Commission...

On a habeas corpus petition filed by the family members of a girl,the Calcutta High Court today directed Malini Bhattacharjee,chairperson of the State Women Commission,two other members and several Kolkata Police officers to file affidavits disclosing the whereabouts of Juhi Singh,who was allegedly taken away by them two years ago.

The Division Bench of Justices Bhaskar Bhattacharjee and Prasenjit Mondal asked 14 persons,including the members of the women commission and officers of Immoral Traffic Section of Kolkata Police to file their affidavits within three weeks. The case will come up for hearing after summer vacation.

The petition alleges that members of the commission and police had taken away Juhi,now aged about 18,from her residence at Durga Charan Mitra Street,on December 5,2008. The police had then alleged that the girl was bought by one Simla Singh. Simla,however,claimed that she was the mother of Juhi and lodged a complaint against the police and commission members with the Bartala police station.

Singhs counsel Dipak Praladhkar alleged that police had also beaten up Juhis family members and now she was being illegally detained by them. According to him,Juhi was being kept at a home run by a social organisation. The petition seeks an order to direct the Women Commission and police to return the girl to her family.

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