Srinagar: While taking a hard stance on the alleged 'abduction' of a 24-day-old baby, the High Court of Jammu Kashmir & Ladak ordered the police to trace the toddler before the next hearing, scheduled for September 6.
During the third hearing in the case on Friday, Justice Ali Mohammad Magray pulled up the police saying, "the baby has not been rescued yet and most of the respondents are on the run. Recover the child and hand over her to the mother before the next hearing."
The court further directed the police to ensure the safety of the petitioner as the woman told the court the in-laws might kill her.
The court had passed the order on a petition filed by Advocate Areeb Javed Kawoosa at the request of the woman from Jammu, alleging that her daughter, who was born August 7, had been abducted by her in-laws.
"If the police rescue the girl before the next hearing, they should follow the guidelines given by the court," the judge asserted.
During the hearing, the public prosecutor also sought the detention of the two accused. In response, the court said, "We are not dealing with that case. However, the detainees can use all the legal facilities that are available to them."
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During the first hearing of the case on August 31, the court had observed that "the court cannot act as a silent spectator and it is necessary to save the life and health of the girl child in the interest of justice."
"Apart from ensuring her (baby's) recovery, it is very important to protect the mother from her traumatic condition," Justice Magray said.
The bench had earlier directed the senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, to recover the girl from her maternal grandfather by 4.30 pm September 1. The court had also authorised police to raid places and homes wherever the girl child could be kept in hiding.
The court had also ordered the police team to be accompanied by a magistrate to take legal action in case of "any situation". "Take a doctor with you to take care of the newborn's medical needs. Also, prepare a medical report while mentioning the exact time and place of the child's recovery and the condition of the newborn," the court said.
On Saturday, the court asked the team to contact the Medical Superintendent of JLNM Hospital, Ranawari, to ascertain the child's weight at birth and compete with the current so as to assess the impact on the child's health in the meantime.
