The Pakistani woman and her Indian partner, both of whom were arrested by the police in connection with her illegal stay in India, were on Friday granted bail by a court in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida, officials said.
Seema Ghulam Haider, around 30, and Sachin Meena, around 25, were arrested on July 4. While Seema was charged with illegally entering India, Sachin was booked for sheltering the illegal immigrant.
On July 4, both Sachin and Seema had confessed their love for each other in front of the media and police, urging the government to allow them to get married and stay together in India.
The duo had got in touch in 2019 while playing online game PUBG and eventually got closer to the extent that she decided to come to India to stay with him in Greater Noida.
Advocate Hemant Krishna Parashar, who represented the accused, said the bail was granted to the two by Justice Nazim Akbar of the Jewar Civil Court junior division.
Parashar said the court has put a condition with the bail that Seema would not change her place of residence as long as the case is underway and the couple would mark their presence before the court regularly.
“Both Seema and Sachin have been granted bail by the court. However, they are yet to be released from the jail. They would be released after paper work and verification are completed,” said Sudhir Kumar, in-charge of local Rabupura police station, where the case was lodged.
“Seema’s four children are also with her in the jail. They would stay with the mother once she walks out of the jail,” Kumar told PTI.
Advocate Parashar said he argued before the judge that the woman had taken the action in her innocence as the couple was “love-struck”.
He also claimed that Seema and Sachin have got married in Nepal earlier this year and the woman feels threat to her life if she goes back to Pakistan.
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“Seema told me in writing that she and Sachin had got married in Kathmandu, Nepal. I informed the court about this. I also argued that Seema first went from Pakistan to Nepal and then came to India. Those coming from Nepal to India are not required to carry passport or have visa,” Parashar told PTI.
“I also apprised the court that Seema feels threat to her life if she is sent back to Pakistan. She feels her young children might get spared but she would be killed for her acts,” the lawyer claimed.
He said the court was satisfied with the arguments and granted bail to the couple.
Earlier, the court had ordered that the woman’s four children, all aged below 7, would stay with the mother in the jail. The children had accompanied Seema when she illegally came to India in May this year.
Sachin’s father Netrapal Singh (50) was also arrested in connection with the case and charged with sheltering an illegal immigrant.
The father was also granted bail on Thursday by the same court, police said.
