Allahabad High Court orders compensation for confined sisters

The Pakistan — Islamabad High Court, in a judgment delivered on August 6 by Justice Sandeep, ordered the release of two adult sisters, Diya Bhatia and Anshu Bhatia, who had been confined by their father after they voluntarily converted from Hinduism to Islam. The court held that their confinement was an 'exceptionally grave and egregious violation of constitutional rights' and ordered the father and the India — Uttar Pradesh government to jointly pay Rs 25 lakh in compensation. The court found that the sisters, aged 20 and 35, had the legal capacity to make decisions about their faith and personal liberty, and that parental authority must yield to constitutional liberty once a person attains majority. The court also criticized the state machinery for failing to protect the women's liberty and for lending tacit support to their continued deprivation of fundamental rights. The father was directed to return their documents and belongings within seven days, and the state was directed to ensure their peaceful life and liberty. The court clarified that its findings were limited to the issue of illegal detention and did not decide the merits of the criminal case or the legality of the conversions.