Chandigarh:
The Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom on Monday took suo-motu discover of an incident through which a girl was allegedly assaulted and paraded semi-naked by her son’s in-laws in Tarn Taran and mentioned it reminded of the “chirharan of Draupadi’ at the behest of the Kauravas in Mahabharat.
The 55-year-old woman was assaulted and paraded semi-naked in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district allegedly by her son’s in-laws, after he eloped with a woman and married her against the wishes of her family.
The incident occurred in a village on March 31, a few days after the victim’s son eloped with the woman and married her, police had said.
Justice Sanjay Vashisth took suo-motu (on its own) cognisance of the “barbaric and shameful incident” through media reports and decided to treat the matter as public interest litigation.
Justice Vashisth is also the administrative judge of the Tarn Taran sessions division.
The matter was subsequently placed before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, which issued a notice of motion to the Punjab government.
“I’m reminded of the historic occasion that had taken place throughout the Mahabharat period, that’s, the chirharan of Draupdi on the behest of the Kauravas and the silence of the Pandavas, together with Bhishma Pitamah, which finally resulted in bloodshed of hundreds of individuals within the Mahabharat conflict.
“After centuries thereafter, an ordinary common man does not expect even today that the ‘nyay pranali’ (judicial system) would be a mute spectator to such incidents, happening sinfully and openly under the nose of the administration,” Justice Vashisth noticed.
“Being the administrative judge of the Tarn Taran sessions division, I am of the considered opinion that cognisance of this incident is required to be taken suo-motu on the judicial side, because the high court cannot be a mute spectator to such incidents, where the respect and modesty of a lady is outraged openly, and despite taking required steps, police and the other authorities concerned show or adopt a lackluster attitude and do not initiate prompt action,” the choose mentioned.
Police had mentioned 4 individuals have been arrested in reference to the incident.
In keeping with the grievance filed by the sufferer, she was alone at dwelling when her son’s in-laws allegedly assaulted her and tore her garments off.
They paraded her within the village in a semi-naked situation, the sufferer alleged.
A video purported displaying the sufferer being paraded within the village surfaced on social media on Friday.
Kulwinder Kaur Mani, the mom of the sufferer’s daughter-in-law, her brothers Sharanjit Singh Shanni and Gurcharan Singh, and household good friend Sunny Singh have been arrested in reference to the incident.
Based mostly on the grievance, an FIR was registered on April 3 below Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assault or felony pressure to girl with intent to outrage her modesty), 354B (assault or use of felony pressure to girl with intent to disrobe), 354D (stalking), 323 (voluntarily inflicting harm) and 149 (illegal meeting).
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