Allahabad High Court directs priority action after petitioner-girl abducted from advocate's chamber in High Court

The Allahabad High Court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh police to take action on priority basis, in a matter concerning a girl's abduction from the chamber of a lawyer [Ankita Mishra v State of UP]..The Court noted that the girl, a petitioner in a case before the Court, was abducted from the chamber in the High Court premises. "It is very surprising and unfortunate that in front of the High Court, miscreants abducted the girl from the chamber of the advocate forcefully," the Court observed. The girl had come to the Court on April 20 after single-judge Justice Umesh Kumar by way of an earlier order, had sought her personal presence to decide the case before it. When the matter was taken up, the Court was informed that around 20 miscreants surrounded the petitioner's lawyer's chamber and forcefully took her away. "Though there was a specific direction of the Court for personal presence of petitioners before the Court today but it is informed by learned counsel for the petitioners that today in connivance with respondent no.4 more than 20 miscreants have surrounded his chambers and forcefully abducted petitioner no.1- Smt. Ankita Mishra from his chamber," the Court noted. The Court asked the Police to take quick action and produce the the girl before the Court..The dispute was regarding the custody of the petitioner, and on a previous occasion, one of the respondents had informed the Court that she had been abducted by the second petitioner. Thereafter, a missing report had been lodged by respondent. Considering this, the single-judge had sought her presence to determine the facts. .On being informed of the incident of abduction, the Court expressed its disbelief. While the second petitioner was given the liberty to move an appropriate application before the authorities for needful action, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Prayagraj / the Superintendent of Police, Jaunpur was directed to look into the matter on a priority basis. .Advocates Mohammad Khalid and Pawan Kumar Yadav represented the petitioners while the State was represented by Standing Counsel Pankaj Kumar Rai..[Read Order]