Expressing concern over detention of parents of boys or girls who fall in love and elope, the Madras High Court today directed the police to exercise caution before arresting the elders in such cases.
A division bench of justices C T Selvam and N Sathish Kumar directed the court registry to send a copy of its order to the state police chief for sensitising the force against wrongful action in such matters.
"Frequently parents and relatives of boys are without, a second thought, arrayed as accused in cases registered over boys and girls going missing and most commonly owing to love affairs... In many a case, this would amount to a social wrong at the hands of the police agency, whose very raison-d'etre is serving a social cause, the bench said.
The court, however, said its order should not be misunderstood and that it only wanted to impress upon the need for care and caution before effecting arrests in such cases.
It was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of a 17-year old girl who allegedly eloped with a 19-year old boy.
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The bench also ordered the release of the boy's mother, who had been arrested and lodged in Salem prison in connection with the case, on a personal bond of Rs 5,000.
Alleging that his daughter was under illegal custody of the boy, the petitioner through the habeas corpus petition sought a direction to police to produce her in the court.
Acting on a complaint lodged by the petitioner on February 18 last, the police had arrested the boy's mother.
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