| Provide cash, gold for marriage of poor girls: J&K HC to Govt | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 17 : Expressing dissatisfaction over the status report on the scheme for destitute girls, Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the government to constitute a separate fund for marriage of about 4 lakh girls.
A division bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar observed that the status report presented by the government on the scheme was satisfactory.
Directing the government to re-look the draft scheme, the court said the report does not make any mention of the directions issued by the court in its preamble nor does it effectively deal with those directions.
The draft scheme requires a second look so as to implement the directions issued by this court effectively, the court said.
The court observed it need not emphasise that girls numbering 3,73,086 constitute a class in themselves. The directions issued by the court on December 30, 2013, have been upheld by the Supreme Court with a further direction for their implementation. The Division Bench said now there was no room left for any authority to deviate from these directions as the Supreme Court directions were binding on all the authorities under Article 142 of the Constitution.
The court asked the state government to constitute a separate fund for marriage purpose of nearly 4 lakh girls and provide a minimum of Rs 25,000 and, as far as possible, five grams gold will be given to a girl to be married.
The court said this can easily be worked out. "We would like you to start disbursing the amount, so that we are able to appreciate that the work done by the court is bringing some results and the deserving girls shall reap the benefit of these efforts." On December 30, 2013, the High Court had sought to formulate the scheme after perusing the report by the government identifying 3,73,086 girls as poor and hapless in the state. The court had urged the government to carve out units in both urban and rural areas, which were in close proximity with each other where these girls were identified. The court had further said two or three Mohalla or wards in urban areas and one or two villages in rural areas can constitute a unit and the girls of these areas be made part of society or cooperative society which shall be, exclusively, for these girls and for their benefits. |
|
