Girl’s paperwork saves marriage in court

AHMEDABAD: In a remarkable case, Savita and Mahesh Thakor in Patan district got their marriage registered after establishing that the girl was an adult on basis of a medical certificate.
After their elopement, the issue came to Gujarat high court and the couple won the case again on basis of the medical certificate after examination that declared the girl to be a major. With this, her husband, who has been accused of kidnapping the girl, now his wife, may defeat charges against him.
According to case details, Savita and Mahesh eloped in first week of April from Kedaspur village of Radhanpur taluka. They got their marriage registered with the marriage registrar’s office. In order to prove that she was a major, Savita underwent medical tests and obtained a certificate from a doctor. On basis of this certificate, she could get their marriage registered.
After their elopement, Savita’s father filed an FIR accusing Mahesh and his family members of kidnapping and illegally detaining his daughter. When the couple could not be traced, Savita’s father filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court, which asked the cops to bring the girl before it.
When the girl was produced before court, her father placed her school leaving certificate before the court revealing that she was born in 2000 and was of 16 years of age at the time of elopement. The couple’s advocate Kamlesh Kotai disputed the certificate on the ground that the girl had never attended the school, which had issued the certificate. This led the court to refer the girl for ossification tests to ascertain her age.
While radiological test estimated Savita’s age between 17 and 20 years, a dentist opined that the girl was above 18. The court heard the girl’s wish. She told the court that she was willingly living with her husband for last 10 months. The court turned down habeas corpus petition.
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