Interfaith marriage in auto: HC hands over probe to CBI
Interfaith marriage in auto: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has handed over the investigation of a case involving a marriage in an auto rickshaw, followed by a petition for protection, to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The case involves a runaway couple, a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy, solemnising an interfaith marriage in an autorickshaw instead of a mosque. The couple later approached the High Court seeking protection.
Previously, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the police to investigate whether religious conversion was carried out under the guise of fake marriage.
The High Court has expressed serious concerns about whether this unconventional wedding is motivated by a concealed aim of forced religious conversion. The court took issue with the police investigation, which had previously cleared the couple, claiming that the girl had not converted to Islam and had willingly entered the marriage.
However, anomalies in the case, including misleading information provided to the court, led to further inquiry. The couple first claimed that the wedding took place in a mosque, however, pictures submitted to the court showed that it took place in an auto rickshaw in Nayagaon.
The High Court raised serious questions about the integrity of the police inquiry, saying that the information submitted to the court was false and meant to mislead. As a result, the court has handed over the inquiry to the CBI, instructing it to provide a full report by August 29.
- With inputs from our correspondent
