Rajasthan High Court reunites ‘detained’ bride, husband, wishes ‘happy married life’

“The alleged detenue is at liberty to resume her matrimonial life with the petitioner, who is present in Court. The petitioner is at liberty to take her along with him. Any pending application also stands disposed of. ‘This court wishes them a happy married life’,” the September 25 order read.

Wish to resume marital life: Woman

The man, represented by advocates Neeraj Sharma and Dayal Choudhary, claimed that the woman was an adult aged 24 and that their marriage took place in the presence of his family members, relatives and friends. To prove it, he submitted photographs of the wedding and sought that the woman be freed and allowed to live as per her wishes.

Justices Arun Monga and Ashutosh Kumar noted that the couple’s age and marriage were not disputed.

The police informed the court that they had located the woman and recorded her statement, in which she said that she had married the man of her own free will. The state was represented by public prosecutor Manvendra Singh Shekhawat.

The court noted that the couple’s age and marriage were not disputed. The bench interacted with the woman, during which she candidly admitted that she had married the man without any coercion or duress. She added that the police had brought her to the court from her parental house against her wishes. It was noted that during the pendency of the proceedings, she had to stay at a government-run shelter.

She told the court that she wished to resume her marital life with her husband and sought to be set free. It was found that the man was forced to move the court because the woman’s parents did not approve of the marriage.

“The alleged detenue has clearly expressed her wish before us. She is entitled to live with her husband as per her own choice. No further proceedings are therefore warranted,” the court said.