The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to consider and issue an appropriate order on the request made by the mother of the victim in a POCSO case involving Shafiq Moulavi the chief Imam of Tholicode Mosque in Thiruvananthapuram, to entrust the custody of the minor girl with her.
The HC order came on a Habeas Corpus filed by the mother of the victim alleging that her daughter was in illegal custody of the CWC. She said the victim is a Class X student and is preparing for the SSLC exams in March. The victim is blodged in a children’s home The continued detention of the child will affect her future, stated the petition.
The court said CWC has not yet considered the request of the mother, hence it has to be considered immediately. Directing CWC to take a final decision within three days, the HC allowed mother, siblings of the victim, and grandparents to visit the victim at the children’s home between 5pm-6pm.
The government submitted the writ petition was not maintainable.