AGARTALA: The
Tripura
high court has issued a two-day returnable notice to the state government over selling of a minor girl to a Rajasthan family, who has been rescued and taken to a Women Shelter Home at
Jhunjhunu
in the western India state.
A division bench comprising the chief justice of the high court, Akil Kureshi, and Justice S Talapatra in an order on Wednesday stated that it was suo moto public interest litigation of the high court based on news, which reported that due to abject poverty, the girl was sold at Rs 1.5 lakh.
The court said, “Unfortunately, the girl is 2.5-months pregnant. Taking cognizance of the news report, we would like to ascertain the correct facts, primarily with the aim of ensuring the safety of the girl. The question of bringing the girl back to her native place and to reunite her with her family or to provide her proper care is also on our minds.”
The orders, however, stated that they had already involved the the state home department,
state human rights commission
, state legal services authority and the
Tripura Commission
for Protection of Child Rights as
respondents
. Since the girl is in Rajasthan, it would be right to involve the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, through its chairman as an additional respondent, the order stated.
“We can only imagine the current mental state of the girl. We would request all respondents to mull over and suggest appropriate ways to ensure her safety,” the court mentioned in the order.