Chikkaballapura, 29 Nov

Twenty-four minor girls from Meghalaya who were illegally brought and housed in a hostel by an NGO have been rescued and are being repatriated to their native by flight on Tuesday. 

This comes after a Karnataka High Court order had asked the District authorities to take suitable steps to repatriate the girls to their native place.  

The girls, mostly children of single parents and from economically weaker sections, were allegedly brought to Penumale village in Bagepalli taluk in Chikkaballapura by Aims for Seva, an NGO operating in the area. 

The NGO authorities brought the girls on the promise of providing shelter, food and education to them. However, that was not the case as the children were allegedly not provided basic facilities and were made to reside in a hostel called “Sowmya Kesuvanapalli" at the village. 

District Child Protection Officer B Nautaj, said the NGO gets aid for adopting the girls, which is why Aims for Seva brought the girls.  The girls were reportedly not sexually exploited or trafficked.  

The district Child Help line had received a complaint on 8 July. Soon, a team of authorities led by Nautaj and AG Sudhakar, member of the District Child Welfare committee, inspected the site, where they found the girls living in the hostel without basic amenities. 

When they questioned the hostel authorities whether they had obtained permission to bring the girls from Meghalaya, the hostel authorities failed to provide convincing answers.

Departmental authorities then rescued the girls and housed them in government-run Balakiyara Bala Mandira.  

However, the NGO then filed a series of writ petitions before the High Court against the government authorities, alleging that the State had kidnapped the girls.

After hearing all the stakeholders and also taking the views of the parents into consideration, a division bench of the court ordered the Chikkaballapura district administration to take suitable steps to repatriate the children to their native places.  Incidentally, the judgment was delivered on 14 November, Children's Day, said Nautaj.  

During the four months of court proceedings, the district administration said it helped educate the girls.  Deputy Commissioner PN Ravindra directed the authorities to make arrangements for their flight travel to their native places, while Kushal Chowkse, Superintendent of Police, has deputed a couple of women police to accompany the children during their travel to Meghalaya.