PESHAWAR, April 14: A local court here on Monday granted bail to a couple who had entered into wedlock without the consent of their parents.

The court of additional district and sessions judge, Sardar Mohammad Irshad, observed that an adult man and woman could marry a person in accordance with their free will.

The court directed that the couple — Faiqa Batool and Syed Obaid Shah — should be released after furnishing two sureties of Rs100,000 each.

Faiqa Batool had allegedly left her residence on April 4 and married Obaid Shah. Her parents had registered an FIR against them at the Kabuli police station under the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979. The couple was arrested by the police.

The woman informed the court that she was neither abducted by Obaid Shah nor had she eloped with him. She stated they had legally entered into a wedlock and had not committed anything wrong.

The applicants’ counsel argued they had not committed any offence under the law. He contended it was legal right of an adult male or female to marry a person of their choice. He cited various judgments of the superior courts in support of his contention.

POLICE SUMMONED: The Peshawar district and sessions judge, Hayat Ali Shah, has summoned the local police and appointed a bailiff to visit a police station for checking illegal detention of a person.

A habeas corpus application was filed by Said Rehman, a resident of Haji Camp, Peshawar, stating that his brother, Gul Rehman, had been kept in illegal detention by the officials of the Chamkani police station since April 7.

The applicant stated that the police had neither produced him before any court of law nor informed them about the reason of his detention. He claimed that no case was registered against him.