Adopted & ill-treated, girl appeals to HC

NEW DELHI: This is one adoption that seems to have gone wrong. A 17-year-old girl has approached Delhi High Court alleging her adoptive parents were using her as a domestic help and threw her out when she protested. She pleaded that a police case be registered against them.
Acting on her plea, Justice S N Aggarwal issued a notice to the police as well as the couple.He sought to know why the couple should not be booked for a criminal offence if the allegations were true. The next hearing is on October 4. The girl has been sent to Nirmal Chaya, a shelter for women.
According to the girl’s petition, she has been living with the adoptive parents from an early age. According to her advocate, N A Khan, she came to know of her adopted status from the couple.
A resident of Inderpuri, the girl’s adopted father is a contractor and manages a small-time business. "Although the girl was sent to a government school, she was made to do household chores,"says Khan. The girl has also claimed that her adoptive parents, who already have two children, sent them to a private school.
The girl claims she was stopped from pursuing education after Class X. "The couple wanted her to work at home. When she protested, she was thrown out. For a few days, she took shelter with a friend who advised her to go to the police,"says Khan. When the police did not pay heed, the girl went to court.