HYDERABAD: Following reports of harassment and foisting of false cases by police on youth who get into love marriage, Telangana director-general of police Anurag Sharma has directed the police not to indulge in harassing young lovers who married legally but to verify details before registering cases.
Recently, the High Court has directed the DGPs of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to issue “standing orders” that if a marriage has taken place, its proof is available and both the boy and girl are majors, then no FIR shall be registered unless it is established on record that such marriage was performed under coercion and pressure.
“We will comply the High Court’s directions on registration of false cases. I direct all policemen to be careful in dealing with such cases. Before taking any action in registering cases, policemen must question the parents of the youths and obtain bona fide details whether the youths got married legally,” the DGP said.
Sharma said that if any parents approach police seeking action in similar cases, police would accept complaints and register cases. If the couple got married legally, there would be no action. If the girl, who gets married and her parents lodged a complaint of missing, police would accept it and register a missing case. After tracing the girl and obtaining details about her marriage, police will produce her in court and record her statements in the presence of the magistrate. Basing on her statement, the police will initiate action.
The HC has given the directions following a case filed by Praveen, a resident of Nalgonda, who sought direction to the police to enlarge him on bail in a case registered against him for offences punishable under Section 366 of IPC (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her for marriage) and Section 12 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, 2012.