MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered police protection to Kruthika Patel and Mariappan Vineeth, after the latter expressed fear that they may be harmed by Kruthika’s family members. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan passed the order while dismissing a batch of anticipatory bail petitions filed by six of Kruthika’s family members, including her parents and her alleged husband Maithrik, who were booked in the case.
Kruthika Patel, a Gujarati woman, was allegedly abducted by her family from Tenkasi early this year for marrying Vineeth against their will. The incident was captured on CCTV camera and became viral on social media. Based on Vineeth’s complaint, Courtallam police had registered a case against Kruthika’s parents and family members.
But when Vineeth filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court to trace her, she denied the allegations claiming that she went with her parents on her own will and that she was married to Maithrik Patel. After ensuring that her statements were recorded by the jurisdictional magistrate and police, a division bench of the court had disposed of Vineeth’s plea by permitting Kruthika to go to Kerala with her uncle.
Meanwhile, her parents and other family members, who were booked in the case, were absconding and some of them filed anticipatory bail petitions in the high court. Dismissing two such petitions on Wednesday, Justice Ilanthiraiyan observed that despite the court’s earlier direction to the petitioners to bring Kruthika to the court for hearing her current status and stand in the case, she was not produced.
Considering Vineeth’s apprehension that he and Kruthika may be harmed by her family, the judge dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions and ordered the Courtallam police to provide protection to them. He also instructed the police that they may secure the petitioners for custodial interrogation.