CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered all subordinate courts in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to ensure that minor girls, who get married at young age against the wishes of their parents after running away from home, in need of care and protection are not sent to Nari Niketan/special home/observation home meant for juveniles in conflict with law.
The high court has directed that these runaway minor girls should be sent to proper child care institutions with proper budgetary and infrastructural facilities. As per current practice, when a minor girl marries a boy after eloping, the courts usually send the girl to the local Nari Niketan.
The high court directed the secretaries of all the District Legal Services Authorities in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to personally visit and also depute legal aid counsel to periodically visit such child care institutions where minor girls in need of care and protection are kept under the orders of the HC or any of the courts in the district for assessment of their living conditions for the purpose of suggesting any improvement and assisting them in redressal of their grievances.
The court also directed Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh to identify/notify child care institutions already identified in each district or group of districts as may be viable and provide them requisite financial assistance. The HC has also issued directions to closely monitor/supervise their working so as to ensure that minor girls in need of care and protection are not subjected to any miseries or exploitation.
Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi passed these orders while taking cognizance of the conditions of minor girls who were approaching the high court for protection after eloping with the boys of their choice. When these girls are found to be below the age of consent, the courts used to send them to Nari Niketan or similar shelter homes.
