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Uttarakhand high court orders 6-week police protection for interfaith couple
The high court cited the 2006 ruling by the Supreme Court which ordered the authorities to protect interfaith couples
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand high court on Monday directed the state police to provide security for six weeks to an interfaith couple who apprehends a threat to their lives from the woman’s family and other organisations
A bench of acting chief justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and justice Pankaj Purohit issued the order on a petition filed by Udham Singh Nagar-based couple, Shanu (21) and Aakansha (21).
Lawyer Rahul Adhikari, who appeared for the couple, said they got married around six months ago and were in the process of registering their marriage under the Special Marriage Act.
“The family of the woman is opposed to this marriage. The couple fears that the woman’s mother might do something which could harm them,” Adhikari said.
“After we apprised the court about the threat perception by the couple, the court directed the Bazpur station house officer to provide security to the couple,” he said.
“According to them, they are in love and they want to get married, however, due to threat from respondent number 4 (mother of the girl), and certain other organisations, they are unable to marry, and there is serious threat to their lives,” the court order said.
The high court said the petitioners were entitled to protection in line with the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Lata Singh v. State of U.P. and another, 2006. In its verdict, the top court ordered police across the country to ensure that inter-faith or inter-caste couples were not subjected to threats of violence and people who hold out these threats are taken to task.
The high court ordered the station house officer (SHO) of Bazpur police station to provide protection to the petitioners for six weeks to ensure that no harm was caused to them by any of the private respondents during this period. At the end of this period, the SHO shall make a fresh assessment of threat perception to petitioners, and adopt such measures, as are deemed necessary for the safety and security of petitioners.
