Kerala HC Steps in to Protect Kumbh Mela Viral Girl

KOCHI:
The Kerala High Court directed the police to ensure protection for the girl who became a viral sensation during the Kumbh Mela. The order came after she approached the court claiming that her life was under threat in her hometown in Madhya Pradesh.

The court issued the order on a petition filed by the girl, directing the Station House Officer of the Central Police Station, here to provide necessary security.

The girl told the court that she was alive only because she was staying in Kerala and alleged that she faced the threat of an honour killing if she returned to her hometown in Madhya Pradesh.

She also asserted that she was a major and had the right to decide her own future.

However, the Madhya Pradesh government disputed her claim, stating that the girl was a minor.

The controversy centres around her marriage, which took place on March 11 at the Sri Nainar Devi Temple at Arumanur in Thiruvananthapuram.

An enquiry by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes reportedly found that the girl was only 16-years-old at the time of the marriage.

The Commission cited the birth certificate issued by Maheshwar Government Hospital, which records her date of birth as December 30, 2009, at 5.50 P.M.

The documents produced by the girl before the Thiruvananthapuram police, however, showed her date of birth as January 1, 2008, which showed that she was an adult.

The Commission has alleged that the birth certificate submitted by the girl was fabricated.

The case had drawn attention after the girl became a social media sensation during the Kumbh Mela.

The dispute over her age and the legality of the marriage later escalated into a legal battle involving authorities in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

With the High Court now directing protection, police authorities have been tasked with ensuring her safety while the legal issues surrounding her age, marriage and allegations of threats continue to be examined.