HC grants interim protection to man in interfaith relationship

Bombay High Court grants interim protection from arrest to Naushad Jamadar, accused of theft and extortion, until Monday's hearing regarding his partner's custody.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to a 20-year-old man, accused of theft and extortion by the mother of his 18-year-old partner, who is currently detained in a protection home.

HC grants interim protection to man in interfaith relationship

The court has directed 20-year-old Naushad Jamadar and his partner, who had expressed her desire to marry him, to appear before it on Monday, while stating that Jamadar should not be arrested until then.

Jamadar had filed a habeas corpus petition, seeking the release of his partner, who is from a different faith, claiming she is being detained against her will in the protection home. The petition claims she is legally an adult as she is 18 years old, while her parents claim she is a minor and accuse him of coercion and intimidation.

The girl’s mother has filed two FIRs against Naushad under section 379 (theft) and section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.

The respondent’s counsel alleged that Naushad had threatened the girl’s mother with a video involving her daughter to intimidate the family and stated that the video had been later made viral. He sought time for verification of its authenticity and investigation of the allegations.

The petitioner’s counsel, advocates Lokesh Zare, Abid Abbas Sayyed and Asif Shaikh, sought interim protection, arguing that he should not be arrested while the case was under the court’s consideration.

After due consideration, a division bench of justice Bharati Dangre and justice Manjusha Deshpande granted the petitioner interim protection. “Don’t arrest him till Monday. We want to see what the situation is. He will not be arrested when he comes to the court,” the bench said.

The court will hear the matter again on Monday, with both Naushad and the woman required to be present for further proceedings.