A group of lawyers here on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court requesting initiation of proceedings over the missing law student incident in Uttar Pradesh to avoid repeat of the Unnao incident.
Suo motu cognisance
In a letter to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, a group of lawyers requested the court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue. They also mentioned the matter before the Bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana.
Initially, the court asked lawyers to approach the High Court but later asked them to submit the letter. It also assured them that it would look into the matter.
The lawyers requested the court to issue notice to the U.P. government to trace the girl and provide police protection to her family. “We as a society can’t allow another Unnao case to happen,” it said.
The National Commission for Women has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh police while the Uttar Pradesh Women Commission has sought a report from the Shahjahanpur district administration in the case.
The NCW, which has taken a serious note of the incident, has urged the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police to expeditiously investigate the allegations of harassment levelled by the student and ensure the safety of the girl and her family.
“Considering the gravity of the matter, the commission is taking suo motu cognisance of this case and issued a notice to the DGP Uttar Pradesh to investigate this matter and send a detailed report to the commission. The commission had urged the DGP to ensure the safety of the girl and her family and also make sure that the investigation is done very quickly,” the NCW said in a statement.
UPWC chief Vimla Batham also expressed her commitment to safe return of the girl, who had been pursuing her studies in a college run by Mr. Chinmayanand’s Mumukshu ashram. “We have taken note of the incident and sought a report from the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Shahjahapur. We are awaiting report,” Ms. Batham told reporters.
The student went missing following her allegation in a video clip that she was under threat from the leader of the sant community, without naming Mr. Chinmayanand.
