High court restrains police from harassing free-will couple

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has restrained the police from harassing a couple and making any arrest in a free-will marriage case. Petitioner Ayesha told the court that she had converted to Islam and married Saeen Bakhsh last year in October of her own free will.

She said her family members were annoyed with the marriage, so they registered a kidnapping case against her husband and in-laws despite the fact that she had married Bakhsh without any force or coercion.

The petitioner’s counsel said the marriage was registered at a West district court, but Manghopir police were still carrying out raids to arrest the petitioner’s husband over a kidnapping case registered by the woman’s father. He asked the court to provide protection to the couple and restrain the police from harassing them or arresting her husband in connection with the FIR. He also requested the court to quash the criminal case pending against the petitioner’s husband.

After the preliminary hearing of the petition, an SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro issued notices to the advocate general and others, directing the police to submit a progress report in the case. The court also restrained the police from harassing the couple in the meantime and making any arrest in connection with the FIR.