Chandigarh The Punjab and Haryana high court has suggested that to help runaway couples, help desks should be provided at the tehsil level. It also reiterated that safe houses should be constructed at district level.
The high court bench of justice Avneesh Jhingan while dealing with a plea from Jalandhar couple observed that the non-acceptability of inter-caste marriage was a social problem which needs to be dealt at multifarious levels.
“Inter-caste is not the only reason for non-acceptability of marriage, there are numerous other socio-economic reasons acting as hurdles for young couples in selecting life partner of their choice,” the bench said, adding that a large number of such petitions are being filed by the couples who performed marriage against the wishes of their parents and relatives. It was in 2014 that the high court had directed both the states and the Chandigarh administration to establish a ‘safe house’ in each district to help runaway couples.
One of the ways to tackle the problem is that safe houses should be made available in each district and a website or an on-line module should be provided for such couples to raise their grievances without being physically present, it said. Arranging a 24x7 help desk at the tehsil level for filing of such representations by aggrieved persons or through someone can be of great help, the bench added, further stating that Legal Services Authorities have a strong network at the grassroots level and can help by setting up these help desk for such couples with telephone service and internet connectivity at the local level.
{{/usCountry}}One of the ways to tackle the problem is that safe houses should be made available in each district and a website or an on-line module should be provided for such couples to raise their grievances without being physically present, it said. Arranging a 24x7 help desk at the tehsil level for filing of such representations by aggrieved persons or through someone can be of great help, the bench added, further stating that Legal Services Authorities have a strong network at the grassroots level and can help by setting up these help desk for such couples with telephone service and internet connectivity at the local level.
{{/usCountry}}The court, while fixing the next date of hearing for February 22, has asked both governments and the Chandigarh administration to come up with suggestions to devise a mechanism to help runaway couples.
It added that a large number of pleas are being filed in high court due to which petitions involving really serious and imminent threats get mixed up with petitions filed in routine. Couples who apprehend threat have to travel all the way to this court for completing formalities for filing the plea, exposing them to threat, the bench said. It added that despite directions from the high court that the sessions courts would take up such pleas, cases continued coming directly to the high court.