Girl takes U-turn, says never wanted to marry the youth she eloped with

Sat Jun 19 2010, 01:22 hrs

Apprehensive, 17-year-old Rashmi no longer wants to marry the man she loved and eloped with three months ago against her family’s wishes. Her turnaround came before the Delhi High Court on Friday, days after she told the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) counsel that she was in love with the youth and wished to marry him but feared her family.


On Thursday, when Justice Dhingra had come across the DLSA report forwarded by its counsel Kiran Singh, he had slammed the police for not being able to prevent honour killings. The court had accused the police of conniving with the families of couples instead of providing them security.

The story took a dramatic turn on Friday when the girl was produced from her house in Uttam Nagar and the youth was brought from Tihar, where he has been lodged under the charge of raping the girl. Rashmi, present in the court with her stepmother, denied that she ever wanted to marry him. She contended that she wanted to go to her real mother living in a village in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Rashmi told Justice Dhingra that all the facts in the DLSA report about her relationship with the youth were true but she never said she wanted to marry him despite being pregnant with his child.

Justice Dhingra noted that she was afraid as her real mother stayed in a remote village in UP and she was living with her father and stepmother in the city. “It is apparent that she was afraid and fearful for her safety,” noted the court while passing the order. The court then directed the police to ensure her safety during her stay at Uttam Nagar and escort her to her mother if she wanted.

“So long as she is living at the present address, the investigating officer shall visit the house of the girl once a day and ensure her safety. If she desires, the police shall provide her escort up to her mother’s village,” said Justice Dhingra.

Rashmi had eloped with the youth over three months ago. Her father had lodged an FIR under rape and criminal intimidation charges in March against the youth. He was subsequently arrested.

The youth stood motionless through the proceedings. Justice Dhingra, however, asked him to move a bail application before an appropriate court suggesting that the charges against him were fabricated.

“It seems to be more a case of love affair between two youths instead of a case of rape. The boy was living opposite the girl’s house. He had come from Rajasthan about three months ago. The girl also came to Delhi only recently,” the judge said in his order.

Justice Dhingra then disposed of the petition moved by advocate Singh seeking court’s intervention to help the couple. Singh had told the court that it was a case of elopement and the girl constantly feared for her life.