Produce missing minor by July 3 or come to court: Raj HC tells Sawai Madhopur SP

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court Friday expressed displeasure over the failure of police to trace a minor girl aged 17 years and 10 months, missing for nearly three months from Sawai Madhopur district, and directed authorities to produce her before the court by July 3.

The court warned that if the girl is not traced within the stipulated time, Sawai Madhopur’s superintendent of police will have to appear personally before the court and explain the status of the investigation. The girl went missing on Feb 8 from the Chauth Ka Barwara police station area in Sawai Madhopur district.

A division bench comprising Justice Sudesh Bansal and Justice Manish Kumar Sharma passed the order while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of the missing girl.

During Friday’s hearing, the Sawai Madhopur SP submitted an affidavit detailing the efforts made so far by police to trace the girl.

Laxmikant Sharma Malpura, counsel for the petitioner, argued that police were not making sincere and adequate efforts to locate her. “The girl is currently 17 years and 10 months old” and alleged that the investigation lacked urgency as she would attain majority in the next two months. “It appears that police are waiting for her to be 18,” Sharma added.

“Despite nearly three months passing since her disappearance, police failed to make any significant breakthrough in the case,” he argued.

The matter earlier came up before another division bench of the high court, which on April 15 directed police to trace the minor girl within two weeks and produce her before the court. Then, the bench warned that if the girl was not recovered within the stipulated period, the Sawai Madhopur SP would be required to file an affidavit explaining the delay. The court then expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress in the investigation despite the registration of a criminal case alleging abduction of the girl by a youth from the same village.

Taking note of the continued failure to trace the girl, the high court Friday granted police a final opportunity and ordered that she be produced before the bench by July 3, failing which the SP will have to remain personally present in court.