Man keeps married daughter hostage; court asks cops to produce her

Bhopal/Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday asked Satna police to produce a girl allegedly being kept hostage by her father after her marriage. The girl’s husband told the court that after their love marriage, her father lodged a complaint with police alleging that she was a minor and that their marriage was illegal.

After the initial hearing, a division bench of acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal directed Satna police to produce the girl in court on the next date of hearing.The petitioner, Vishnu Dutta Sharma, a resident of Satna, said in his habeas corpus petition that he had married the daughter of Shivcharan Sharma in a temple. He alleged that after the marriage, the girl’s father filed a police complaint claiming that he had married a minor girl and then took away his wife and was keeping her hostage. As proof of her age, he produced hospital papers showing her birth details. He further alleged that at the time of school admission, her father had reduced her age by two years and was now relying on the school register to describe her as a minor.Following the initial hearing, the division bench also issued notice to the girl’s father and asked Satna police to produce the girl on the next date of hearing.