The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday granted the custody of a seven-month pregnant minor girl to the parents of her boyfriend in Banaskantha district. The boy is a juvenile and has been lodged in a remand home on rape charges.
The incident came to light when the girl’s mother, in November last year, filed a petition in the High Court seeking the medical termination of the pregnancy of her 16-year-old daughter.
The petition was filed following the girl eloped with a local boy in June 2024.
However, an FIR was registered with Dhanera police under the provision of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Still, the accused was not detained, as stated in a media report.
After the woman’s plea, the High Court permitted the termination of the girl’s pregnancy and instructed the government hospital authorities in Palanpur to operate the procedure.
While the woman was taking her daughter to the hospital, the girl ran away again with her boyfriend. The matter was once more brought before the High Court.
This time, the woman filed a habeas corpus petition, accusing the boy of abducting her daughter twice. When the girl was presented in court, she refused to consent to the termination of her pregnancy.
Following this, the High Court ordered that the girl be placed in the Nari Suraksha Gruh in Palanpur, while her boyfriend was detained and sent to a remand home in Mehsana.
When the judge asked the girl about her wishes, she expressed her desire to stay with her boyfriend’s parents. The court then directed both families to discuss the matter and reach an agreement.
Subsequently, the girl informed the court that while her mother was willing to arrange her marriage to the boy, she had made a demand that the girl described as “somewhat exorbitant.”
“My boyfriend’s family treated me like their daughter-in-law and cared for me well,” she added.
Honouring the girl’s wishes, the court granted her custody to her boyfriend’s parents, stating, “This is in the best interest of both families,” after ensuring that the boy’s parents would treat her kindly.
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