Kerala High Court initiates suo motu case after 2-year-old allegedly killed by father

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu proceedings after a 2-year-old child was assaulted and killed by her father..Justice Devan Ramachandran said that the fact that such an incident occurred in Kerala was shocking. He recalled that a similar case had been reported in Thodupuzha a few years ago. "The factum of such an event happening in our state shocks our conscience and certainly must be an eye-opener," the Court said while initiating a suo motu case based on news reports about the incident.The Court noted that according to the reports, complaints had been made previously as well regarding violent incidents in the house of the child but they were not taken seriously by the police. The Court, therefore, deemed it fit to act under the parens patriae jurisdiction and initiated a suo motu case to formulate a protocol so that authorities can intervene before matters get dire. "When children are involved and they are the victims of any such violence I am certain that this court is enjoined to act under the parents patriae jurisdiction not withstanding whether the perpetrator is the father or any other near relative. This court cannot ignore the cries of the young child who must have suffered immeasurably when being attacked particularly if the news reporting is accurate that he has suffered extensive damage to his ribs and to his internal organs. This pains this court indescribably. I am therefore of the firm view that there should be some protocol so that the police is in a position to intervene when any such incident is brought to light. For this purpose, I propose a suo motu action and I propose that the respondents be the State Police Chief, the Superintendent of Police Malappuram and the concerned Station House Officer," the Court said in its order. The Registry was consequently directed to obtain formal orders from the Chief Justice and list the matter as a suo motu writ petition next week..According to Asianet News, the father of the two-year-old girl, one Muhammad Faiz, was arrested last night. The child's relatives were allegedly present at the time when Faiz beat his child. The mother of the child alleged that Faiz had beaten and killed her daughter. When Faiz took the child to the hospital, he allegely said that she had choked on food the previous day.The report states that the the cause of death will be established only after the post-mortem examination is completed.