Missing ‘live-in’ partner traced
HC grants her the freedom to decide whether she wants to continue the relationship or not
After searching for his missing "live-in" partner for more than a month now and knocking the doors of the Bombay, a Gujarat-based man has finally got some respite this week. His missing live-in partner, a fashion photographer, has been traced to a rehabilitation centre in Nashik.
The man — Pranav Patel (changed name), who also works as a fashion photographer in Ahmedabad claimed he had earlier approached the Versova police to lodge a complaint against the family members of his live-in partner — Sonal Singh (changed name). He has accused her family members and especially Sonal’s mother as she vehemently opposed her daughter’s live-in relationship.
However, the cops, according to Patel, had refused to help him in tracing his missing partner. Thus, with no other option left, he moved the Bombay High Court through a writ of habeas corpus. He had filed the plea through his advocates Hasnain Kazi and Swapnil Shah.
The plea was heard by a division bench of Justice Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Justice Bharati Dangre, which had earlier directed the police to probe the contentions of Patel. The police accordingly investigated the allegations and found that Sonal was lodged at a rehabilitation centre in Nasik by her mother. The police also recorded the statements of Sonal and submitted a report before the bench.
According to Kazi, Sonal has categorically stated that she wants to go back to her partner and settle with him.
"In her statements, Sonal has expressed her desire to live with my client. She has said she wants to marry him and settle with him. Even my client has told the court that he would marry her within two months," Kazi said.
Kazi further informed that the judges observed that Sonal is an adult and accordingly granted her liberty to decide if she wants to continue with Pranav or not.
According to Patel, he and Sonal had met in Kolkata in February 2017, where they became friends and soon in August 2017, the duo started staying together as a husband and wife, in a live-in relationship at Ahmedabad, Patel’s hometown. “A month later, Sonal learnt about our live-in relationship and expressed her dissent to it. She had clearly told that she would not let us live peacefully until I pay her a huge amount per month. I obliged to her demand,” Patel’s plea states.
“There were instances when my wife Sonal went to her home-town in Kanpur, UP to meet her family and ailing grandmother, but she was assaulted by her mother. She had threatened my wife of dire consequences if she continued to live with me. Also, there was a dispute over their family’s property which was in name of Sonal,” Pranav claimed.
Pranav had earlier told FPJ that his live-in partner was pregnant and that he himself learnt about this a few days before her missing. “In March this year, my wife had shifted to Mumbai as she wanted to resolve the disputes with her mother, who was staying at a relatives house in Andheri. I had accordingly rented out a house for her to ease her stay in Mumbai. But during her stay here, she was harassed and assaulted several times by her family members, who opposed our relationship,” he has claimed in the plea. “Some days before her sudden disappearance, Sonal had told me that she was pregnant and would return to Ahmedabad soon. However, from May 16, her phone was switched off. I came down to Mumbai and learnt from the landlord, that her mother and brothers assaulted her on May 16 and took her away,” the petition claims.