Missing minor girl case: Supreme Court transfers investigation from UP Police to Delhi Police

On the recommendation of Additional Solicitor General RS Suri, the Supreme Court today transferred further investigation in the case of a minor girl missing from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur to the Delhi Police (Neelam Kanojia v. State of Uttar Pradesh)..“We deem it appropriate in the interest of justice to transfer the investigation to the Delhi Police. They must take all necessary steps to protect the minor girl from being exposed to any untoward situation,” said a Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Hrishikesh Roy and CT Ravikumar..The Court also appointed Senior Advocate KV Viswanathan to represent the minor girl since she was not represented before the Court..During the hearing, ASG Suri informed the Court that on being traced by the Delhi Police, it was found that the girl had married the kidnapper on July 15, 2021..Further, she refused to go with the mother and had to be kept in an observation home in Delhi. It was submitted that the girl was now with the Gorakhpur Police and was to be produced before the magistrate..Advocate Amit Pai, representing the child's mother, also brought to the Court’s notice that the minor girl was pregnant, and therefore, any steps to be taken must be implemented in an urgent manner..After the Bench on September 1 directed the Delhi Police to investigate the case expeditiously, it was informed that the girl was traced to Kolkata and her kidnapper was arrested.."This is a reflection on the state of UP Police. The police did not see this for so long and on top of this wanted two more months to conduct probe,", the Bench had said on Friday..The petitioner, a domestic worker in Delhi, had claimed that her daughter was kidnapped by one Akash while they were visiting her husband’s hometown of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.She apprehended that the accused had kidnapped her daughter in order to subject her to grievous hurt, slavery or unnatural lust..Supreme Court directs Delhi, Uttar Pradesh police to investigate case of missing minor girl expeditiously