The Madhya Pradesh High Court made it clear in an important judgment that the rape victim could not stay at the accused’s house under any circumstances. A single bench of Justice Vishal Mishra ordered that until the victim is adult, she should be kept in Nari Niketan of Rewa. The Superintendent of Nari Niketan has also been directed that there is no lapse in the safety and supervision of the victim.
The case is related to the Mauganj area of Rewa district, where a 17 -year -old teenager conceived. The Mauganj court sent a letter to the High Court for permission for abortion. When the court heard this, it was found that the victim was living with the accused Bhupendra Saket and has refused to conduct medical examination and abortion. The womb is now about 25 weeks.
The court made it clear that an abortion cannot be ordered without the victim’s will, especially when she is not even undergoing medical examination. In this situation, if the parents do not want to keep the girl with them, then she should be kept safely in Nari Niketan itself.
At the same time, in another case, the court took a tough stand on misuse of the legal process. A woman from Bhopal accused Satna resident Arunendra Kumar Gautam of physically abusing her by pretending to be married. On this, the police registered a case under rape and other sections. The petitioner applied for advance bail in the High Court, which was approved.
The woman later demanded the cancellation of bail, but it was revealed in the evidence submitted by the petitioner that the woman had lodged an FIR in a similar case in Jabalpur before and she is already married. The court canceled the FIR and criminal action on the basis of these facts. Justice Mishra said that the legal process should not be misused in this way.
