SC: MEA must reply to 80-yr-old's plea for missing girl

The Supreme Court on Monday sought to know the status of a woman on a plea by her 80-year-old father who apprehended that she might be killed in the USA by her husband and in-laws.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked senior advocate K S Radhakrishnan to find out within two weeks the status of the woman, Mamta Kumari Kanodia, who was stated to be in Georgia.

Advocate Sanjay Dubey, appearing for her father, Rajkamal Pyarelal Kanodia submitted that Mamta was cheated by her husband and in-laws as it was not disclosed that he was previously married.

The petitioner father, a resident of Thane, has not been able to meet her since the couple left for the US on April 16, 2016, after their marriage on January 24, 2015, at an Arya Samaj temple in Mumbai.

Mamta called up her father last year in July to save her life from her in-laws but her call got disconnected. Now, the petitioner-advocate does not know if she was alive or not.

After a brief hearing, the bench asked the senior counsel to help on behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The petitioner sought the court's intervention to bring her back. He claimed his daughter was threatened if he attempted to take any legal action.