News Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Expressing dissatisfaction with the Ghaziabad police’s investigation in the mysterious death of a girl who had married against her family’s wishes, the Delhi High Court Tuesday asked senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh government to explain why the case should not be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A division bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Ajit Bharihoke expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation into the death of Monika Dagar and sought the response of the state’s principal secretary (home) and the director general of police on transferring the case to the CBI.

The officials have been asked to reply by Dec 4, the next date of hearing.

In its report to the court, the Ghaziabad police said they had filed cases against nine members of the girl’s family on various charges.

At this, the court asked why a case of murder was not filed against all of them. “Prima facie, the case looks like as if it was an honour killing,” it observed.

Monika Dagar of Sahibabad married Gaurav Saini of Delhi against the wishes of her family in July this year. Her family then registered a case of kidnapping against Saini. In the complaint, Dagar’s brother alleged that his sister had been taken to an unknown place by Saini and his friends after abducting her.

The Uttar Pradesh police later recovered the girl from Saini’s house in the capital. After getting her medically examined and recording her statement before a magistrate, the police handed her over to her mother and brother despite the fact that she was major.

Saini, after getting bail in the case, moved a habeas corpus petition in the high court, which asked the Sahibabad police to present the girl before it.

However, on the very next day, it was reported that the girl had passed away and her body was cremated the following day without being examined by any doctor.