Kerala HC refuses to extend transit bail to viral Kumbh girl’s husband

Kochi: High court on Thursday declined to extend the transit pre-arrest bail granted to the husband of the viral ‘Kumbh Mela girl’, to enable him to approach the competent court in Madhya Pradesh seeking anticipatory bail in a case alleging that he abducted the girl.The man had sought a 15-day extension to enable him to approach Madhya Pradesh high court after the jurisdictional court in Madhya Pradesh dismissed his anticipatory bail application. However, the bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath, while dismissing the plea, observed that once the petitioner had approached the competent court in Madhya Pradesh, Kerala HC no longer had jurisdiction to entertain the plea.Kerala HC had granted one-month transit bail to the couple on June 3 to enable them to approach the jurisdictional court in MP.

The petitioners had approached Kerala HC, apprehending arrest in connection with a case registered by MP police based on a complaint filed by the girl’s father. According to the complaint, the girl was abducted and she was a minor at the time of the marriage.The petitioners, however, contended that they had met at a pooja ceremony held in Kerala in connection with a new Malayalam film, fell in love, and decided to live together. They submitted that their marriage was solemnised at a temple in Thiruvananthapuram and was subsequently registered under the Special Marriage Act on March 11. They also produced the girl’s birth certificate, along with copies of her Aadhaar card and bank passbook, to support their claim that she was not a minor at the time of marriage.