Girl not property who can be donated: Bombay High Court after father donates daughter to a godman ('Baba')
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court, earlier this month while hearing bail plea of two accused booked for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl, expressed displeasure over the acts of father of the victim of “donating” his daughter to a “baba” (godman), by executing ‘daanpatra’ (deed of donation). The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court took strong exception to the act of a father "donating" his daughter to a baba while hearing the bail plea of accused for sexually assaulting the 17-year-old. [Shankeshwar @ Shambhu s/o Bhausaheb Dhakne and Anr. v. State of Maharashtra & Anr.] "When the girl as per her own statement is minor, then why the father who is in all respect guardian of the girl should give the girl as Daan ? A girl is not a property which can be given in donation," the Court remarked. The two applicants for bail was accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl, who lived with her father in the temple premises where a Baba lived with his