The Allahabad High Court on Saturday questioned the Uttar Pradesh Police for “illegally” detaining an interfaith couple due to “social pressure”, and directed the police to ensure their safety, The Hindu reported.

A bench of Justices Salil Kumar Rai and Divesh Chandra Samant said that detaining the couple – a Muslim man and a Hindu woman – on account of “social pressure” only increased the illegality of the detention. The court added that the officers responsible for detaining them were liable for departmental action.

The woman’s father had filed a first information report, claiming that his daughter was a minor and had been abducted by a Muslim man. Based on the complaint, the Aligarh Police arrested the man, The Hindu reported.

However, when the two were produced before court, the woman said she was an adult and had married the man willingly.

The couple alleged that after they left the High Court on Wednesday, they were abducted by the woman’s father and some others with the help of the police, Bar and Bench reported. The two were then taken to Aligarh, where the woman was placed in a One Stop Centre for women facing violence, while the man was detained in a police station.

The police on Saturday produced the couple before the High Court. Government advocate Patanjali Mishra told the bench that the woman was on Friday taken before a magistrate, where she was confirmed to be a major.

The magistrate recorded the woman’s statement that she had left home of her own will and wanted to go with the Muslim man. The woman was set free later that day, Bar and Bench reported.

On Saturday, the High Court interacted with the couple in-camera, and the woman reiterated that she had married the man and wanted to stay with him. The court asked the government advocate why the couple were detained, to which the lawyer said the step had to be taken as the interfaith marriage had sparked tensions in the area.

However, the bench said that this argument was not acceptable and did not justify their detention, The Hindu reported. The court went on to order their release.

“Apparently, the custody of the parties by the police was illegal and violated the fundamental rights of the girl and petitioner no. 2 [the man] under Article 21 of the Constitution of India [right to life and personal liberty],” the court observed.

The bench said that in a democracy, the law enforcement machinery was expected to use its powers to protect citizens’ liberties, rather than to succumb to social pressure and curtail their freedoms, according to The Hindu.

The case will be heard further on November 28, and the Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police has been directed to appear personally before the court on that day.

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