Advocate Alleges Police Detained Runaway Couple; Supreme Court Asks To Approach Delhi High Court First

The Supreme Court today refused to interfere in a matter seeking protection of a runaway couple who are fearing honor killing. The bench asked the parties to first approach the High Court under Article 226. 

The bench urged the parties to approach the High Court today itself. 

Advocate Harvinder Chaudhary mentioned the plea before the bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi. 

She said that she happened to see the couple in the Supreme Court parking lot. She said that the couple, after seeing some reels, were under the impression that they can get married in the Supreme Court.

The advocate submitted that the girl belonged to Bihar and the boy belonged to UP, and they were facing death threats from their parents/ relatives. 

The advocate stressed that the girl is getting threats from her parents that they will hang the couple from the tree. She further added that when the couple reached the Tilak Marg police Station in New Delhi, the police, instead of helping them, tried to detain them. 

" I took them along with two lawyers, me, Atul Kumar Yadav and Triprary Chopra. We three went to the Police Station Tilak Marg....It's surprising, I don't want to say, it will be very cheap and very flippant to the system. Police tried to detain us and they detained the girl and the boy who had gone for protection. I told the police, you please detain me, but I shall not leave a young girl of years old to the Police Station. That is the situation." 

The CJI then inquired why the couple came to Delhi. 

The advocate explained that due to the social media and reels influence, the young couple was under the impression that marriages are done at the Supreme Court and the CJI's house is offered for protection 

"Woh reels dekhte hai, unke yeh laga SC mein shaadiya hojaati hai aur Chief Justice ke ghar jaya jata hai...I mean, that is a strange attitude, because of the social media !  

The CJI urged the advocate to approach the High Court under Article 226 and not to give the High Court's jurisdiction 'stepmotherly' treatment. 

While the advocate assured the bench that she will approach the High Court, she also pointed out a key loophole- lack of shelter homes/ protection facilities for young runaway couples, fearing honour killings. 

The CJI remarked that sometimes the case is not as simple, and there have been instances where the man who has eloped is already married and has children. 

The bench stressed that on the issue of protection of the present petitioners, the High Court would appropriately consider the cause of their personal liberty. 

"Go to the HC and I am sure the HC will consider this today itself, we will communicate to the HC registrar judicial," CJI said.