Legal battle confines baby to orphanage

Legal and religious battle between parents of a 20-day-old baby boy left him in an orphanage from the day he was born. The new-born’s unmarried mother was asked by police and doctors to give birth so that they could match the DNA samples of the infant and his father, who had been maintaining physical relations with the woman for past one year on the pretext of marrying her but left her alone after she became pregnant. While the woman, who was less than 18 years of age at the time of the offence, is staying with her parents, the man is behind bars. The police has kept the infant, born on August 9, in the orphanage. The case is pending in a Delhi court, which is hearing arguments on framing of rape charge against the man, a Bihar native. Advocate Vivek Kadyan, appearing for the accused, had told the court that the man is willing to marry the woman and accept their child and even the victim is ready for it, but her parents are against it as he belongs to a different religion. The case was lodged against the man in March when the Delhi-based woman approached the police, alleging that he raped her several times with a false promise of marriage. The woman, a Hindu, said she had met the man last year and they developed friendship. She said the man, though a Muslim, had introduced himself as a Hindu. He used to call her in his office here and forcibly maintain physical relations with her, she alleged, adding that when she told him about the pregnancy and expressed the desire to abort, the accused asked her not to do so as he would marry her soon.