Chennai: Pointing out that everyday, cases are coming before the court with regard to minors eloping with their lovers, especially with aged and married people, the Madras high court has posed nine queries to be answered by the Director General of Police. Passing interim orders on a habeas corpus petition, a division bench comprising Justices N.Kirubakaran and S.Baskaran directed the DGP to answer the queries by November 8.
The queries are :
1) How many minors were either kidnapped or they themselves eloped with their lovers for the past 10 years?.
2) How many minors were kidnapped or eloped with married/aged people?.
3) How many such cases have been filed and how many people have been convicted?.
4) What are all the steps taken by the state government to prevent this kind of elopement of minors with third parties, who are aged, married people?.
5) Is it not the bounden duty of the state government to sensitize the children at the school level as well as the parents by conducting proper programmes?.
6) Is there any case of serial offenders, cheating either sex?
7) How many people have been arrested and convicted under the Pocso Act?
8) Offence under the Pocso Act is not confined to men alone. There are media reports, wherein married ladies or aged ladies are eloping with minor boys. Those details have to be given and whether Pocso Act has been invoked against such people?
9) Why not the government form a separate wing to deal with these kinds of cases?.
Questions include data on how many people have been arrested and convicted under the POCSO Act and what steps the state govt has taken to prevent elopement of minors with third parties, who are aged or married people. There are reports of aged/ married ladies eloping with minor boys. Details of these cases have also been asked for
