Father files plea in HC for producing missing son in court

Suspecting that his missing son, who married an upper caste Hindu girl, might have been killed for honour, a Dalit father today filed a Habeas Corpus petition before Madras High court bench here, seeking a direction to produce him in court.
Justices A Selvam and V S Ravi admitted the petition by Sonaimuthan of Ramanathapuram district and ordered notice to police, asking them to reply in two weeks.
The petitioner said his son Manikandan was in love with an upper caste Hindu girl Ajitha and her uncle had once come to his house and threatened his son with dire consequences if he did not stop seeing her.

On March 14, the girl's uncle again came to his house and claimed that Manikantan had kidnapped Ajitha. Then he took Sonaimuthan to a deserted area, threatened him and released him only after he assured to locate his son and their daughter in two days.
The petitioner said an inspector later contacted him over phone and asked him to come to the police station for an enquiry on the 'kidnapping'. During investigation, a woman relative of the girl said they would locate her and his son and that they would kill the boy, he alleged.
The girl was located and produced before Judicial Magistrate II at Ramanathapuram, who handed her over to her father.

The girl had told police she had gone with Manikandan, but later told the JM that she had gone with her friends. Besides, the uncle told them the petitioner that his son had kidnapped their girl and threatened of dire consequence.
The petitioner feared his son would have been killed as he was missing from March 14. He had already given a complaint about his missing son and sought a direction for him to be produced in the court.