The Allahabad High Court has taken a stern stance against organized rings of brokers operating around district courts under the guise of religious trusts. These brokers have been found to facilitate the provision of forged documents for couples seeking protection orders based on false credentials.
Justice Vinod Diwakar, presiding over a single-judge bench, issued directives for a comprehensive investigation into the activities of these entities across various districts, including Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Aligarh, and Mainpuri. The court’s decision comes in response to numerous petitions filed by couples who, under the protection of fabricated documents such as marriage certificates and identification cards, were exposed during verification processes.
During the hearings, it emerged that many documents, including vital records and addresses, were incorrectly listed. Shockingly, some cases involved girls between the ages of 12 and 14, revealing a grim underbelly of human trafficking and forced labor disguised as marriage. The state’s representatives, Senior Standing Counsel Ashwani Kumar Tripathi and Law Officer OP Singh, informed the court about these disturbing findings, underscoring the severity of the situation.
The court condemned the local police’s apparent negligence in curbing these malicious practices, which not only exploit the judicial system but also lead to social instability, exploitation, and significant psychological and emotional distress among the affected youths. Consequently, the court has ordered legal action against individuals and organizations involved in creating and distributing forged documents.
In addition to the crackdown, the court stressed the need for a robust system to ensure accountability and verification of documents to prevent such exploitation. The next hearing will expect a detailed report on the investigations, highlighting the urgent need for reforms to address these deep-seated issues affecting vulnerable populations and the integrity of the legal and societal frameworks.
