A district and sessions court summoned Edhi Foundation chairman Abdul Sattar Edhi and other charity representatives on an application filed by an Indian lawyer and social worker seeking the custody of a deaf and mute woman.
Geeta, 21, was brought up at Edhi Home where she has lived for the past 13 years. She was found sitting alone and disorientated on Samjhauta Express in Lahore and police believed that she had come from India after crossing the Wagah border through the train.
Momineen Malik, an Indian lawyer and social worker, moved an application under Section 552 (power to compel restoration of abducted females) of the criminal procedure code and asked the court for the custody of the woman in order to hand her over to her parents in India.
He named Mr Edhi, the founder of Edhi Foundation, and others as respondents in the application.
The district and sessions judge (south), Ahmed Saba, issued notices to the respondents with direction to appear in court along with the woman on Monday.
The judge also asked a teacher of a deaf and dumb school to attend the hearing in order to communicate the statement of the Indian woman.
According to Section 552, “Upon complaint made to a sessions judge on oath of the abduction or unlawful detention of a woman, or of a female child under the age of sixteen years, for any unlawful purpose, he may make an order for the immediate restoration of such woman to her liberty or of such female child to her husband, parent, guardian or other person having the lawful charge of such child, and may compel compliance with such order, using such force as may be necessary.”
On August 6, a deaf and mute couple from Amritsar claimed that the woman was their daughter, Pooja, who they used to call Guddi. The couple, Rajesh Kumar and Ram Dulari, conveyed to the Hindustan Times through their son, Raju, 14, that the girl being raised by Edhi Foundation in Karachi was their daughter.
Also read: We should thank Edhi for looking after Geeta and giving her a good life: Salman Khan
