The Delhi High Court has sought response from Indian Air Force on a complaint that it was not forthcoming in providing information about a probe conducted into the marriage of a woman with an officer in the force by declaring herself a widow.
A bench of Justice Manmohan observed it as a "harsh case" for both sides including the officer, who is in wedlock with the woman, and sought IAF's reply before the next date of hearing, October 27.
In his petition filed through advocate Avadh Kaushik, 68-year-old R C Jain said his son, Vikas Jain, had been kidnapped for ransom from Rajasthan in 1998 with no clue whatsoever, till date, about what happened to him despite efforts of the state police and CBI.
Thereafter, his daughter-in-law, who had left her matrimonial home with her child, married a Squadron Leader in the IAF in November 2002 by declaring herself to be a widow, the petition said.
Aggrieved over his daughter-in-law declaring herself a widow within four years of her husband going missing without any proof that he had died, Jain had raised this issue before the IAF which had said it will investigate the matter.
He alleged in his petition that though IAF carried out the investigation, it did not provide him with the information regarding the stage and outcome of the probe, despite a 2009 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the force to do so.
IAF had later in its reply filed in the CIC in 2013 contended that it had not carried out any such probe and based on this response Jain's plea in the CIC was disposed of.
He moved the high court alleging that IAF did conduct the probe and is now hiding the information to protect its officer.
