The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday criticized the Madurai police for not filing an FIR by a Dalit woman who alleged that her caste-Hindu in-laws separated her from her husband hours after their wedding.

The Dalit woman, M Sundaravalli filed a habeas corpus petition requesting the court to rescue her husband who was allegedly kidnapped by his parents and might also be murdered to protect the caste honour. Sundaravalli is four-months pregnant, according to TNIE report.

She said in her petition that she had tried filing a complaint by sending a courier to the Superintendent of Police Madurai and the Inspector of Police of Karuppayurani station on November 14 but they did not take any action to rescue her husband.  

When P Ramar, her husband was brought before the court he denied marrying M Sundaravalli. P Ramar told The New Indian Express that he was in a relationship with Sundaravalli in college but has not met her for the past five months.

The High Court asked the police why they had not registered an FIR on a complaint from Sundaravalli. The police claimed it to be a jurisdiction issue and the judge called it an “irresponsible” response, according to TNIE report.

The Madras High Court said that police need not consider jurisdiction for registering an FIR and asked the police to file a case and postponed the hearing to November 23.