Now Reading: Ujjain woman seeks MP High Court protection from family, alleges harassment
-
01
Ujjain woman seeks MP High Court protection from family, alleges harassment
Ujjain woman seeks MP High Court protection from family, alleges harassment
A 20-year-old woman from Ujjain has petitioned the Madhya Pradesh High Court, alleging mental and physical harassment by her family, including pressure to marry and obstacles to her studies and job. She…
A 20-year-old woman from Ujjain has petitioned the Madhya Pradesh High Court, alleging mental and physical harassment by her family, including pressure to marry and obstacles to her studies and job. She also claimed her father sexually exploited her and that her life is under threat. Living in Indore, she has sought police protection.
Hearing the petition, Justice Sandeep N Bhatt said an adult woman cannot be harassed for her choices and is entitled to police protection under Article 21. The court directed her to approach the Ujjain Superintendent of Police to record her statement and name those threatening her. Citing the Supreme Court's Lata Singh judgment, it ordered immediate action if a threat is found. The woman had earlier filed complaints with the Ujjain and Indore SPs on August 12 and 13. The court disposed of the petition and asked the Advocate General to communicate the order to the Ujjain SP for compliance.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The case turns on a familiar tension in Indian family law: an adult woman's right to choose her life partner, career, and residence under Article 21, versus parental claims of control. The Supreme Court's 2006 Lata Singh judgment explicitly held that parents cannot harass or threaten a major daughter for inter-caste or inter-religion marriages, and the Shakti Vahini (2018) ruling against honour crimes sets a police protocol for threats. In practice, many such petitions are filed after complaints to local police are ignored, making the court's direction to the Ujjain SP, not the Indore SP where she lives, the key instruction. The woman's allegation of sexual exploitation by her father adds a criminal dimension that could trigger a separate FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act if she was a minor when it occurred.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
