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MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday suggested that some rooms in state guest houses in all districts could be designated as safe houses for couples in inter-caste or inter-faith marriages who face threats to their lives.
The HC, during a hearing for one such couple, said that since police are already deployed at state guest houses, protection for such couples could be provided without additional deployment.
The HC asked the state Social Justice and Home departments if they identified safe houses in the state as per the Supreme Court’s 2018 guidelines. It posted the matter to December 20 for the state to return with a draft policy circular and identify safe houses.
The HC division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Shivkumar Dige also wants the govt to consider suggestions by lawyers to have a ‘Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)’ to deal with the issue, along with a helpline for couples’ assistance, and to prepare the draft policy circular for the safety of such couples.
Advocates Mihir Desai and Lara Jesani submitted a note on safety requirements.
Last year, the couple, in their 20s, received police protection pursuant to court directions for their marriage in Mumbai and they returned to Delhi to a safe house there.
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