NEW DELHI: Parents of the child-bnide Ameena who was married to a 60-yrold Saudi Arabian National Thursday moved a Delhi court seeking custody of their daughter.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate K.C.Lohia issued notice to the state on the application and adjourned hearing till September 3.

The court allowed another application and granted permission to Sheikh Badruddin and Sabira Begum to meet their daughter at the children’s home for half an hour Friday.

The magistrate directed the superintendent of the home to take Ameena’s consent for the meeting with her parents.

In the application filed through their counsel R D Mehra Ameena’s parents alleged that some women had tried to instigate her against her parents and “made ail attempts to poison Ameena’s mind”.

The application said being legal and natural guardians of Ameena the petitioners were entitled for the custody of their daughter and were “interested in her welfare and education”.

Ameena’s parents contended in their application that more than 80 people were present at the Nikah ceremony and the marriage was “arranged and performed not only for the welfare of Ameena but for the entire family”.

They said the proposal for the marriage of Ameena with the Saudi Arabian national Yahya H M Al Sagish was received a few days before the marriage.

“The marriage proposal was put up for consideration before Ameena who is quite intelligent and understands everything properly. Thus the consent of Ameena was communicated to the other party” Ameena’s parents claimed.

Sheikh Badruddin and Sabira Begum who arrived from Hyderabad Wednesday made their appearance in a packed court room and were virtually mobbed by press photographers reporters and curious onlookers.

Later talking to newspersons at the Patiala house lower courts Sheikh Badruddin justified Ameena’s marriage with the Saudi Arabian National saying it was performed in accordance with Islamic laws.

He said he was confident that Ameena would agree to return to Hyderabad with them an auto-rickshaw (three wheeler taxi) driver. Badruddin said he was promised a job in Saudi Arabia by Yahya Al Sagish. Father of six daughters and two sons he said poverty was the main reason which drove him to marry Ameena to a person who was old enough to be her grandfather.

Sheikh Badruddin described as “false and baseless” allegations that the Saudi Arabian national had paid hundred thousand rupees to him for Ameena’s marriage.

He said only Rs 6000 were paid as “Mehar. Asked why he had taken more than a fortnight to come to the capital after learning about Ameena’s fate he quipped “where was the money for railway tickets”.

During queries by media persons Ameena’s mother clad in a crumpled saree and supporting the youngest one of her lap sat quietly only nodding her head in affirmation in response to a question if her daughter had agreed for the marriage.

Looking perplexed at the media attention Sheikh Badruddin said he would like Ameena to go with the Saudi Arabian.

In reply to a query he said Muslim voluntary organizations of Hyderabad had supported him financially to engage lawyers and seek Ameena’s custody.

Meanwhile in a statement a women’s organization “Janwadi Mahila Samiti* alleged that a local policeman of Hyderabad was a wit: ness to the marriage of Ameena. “It is a crime of abetment which requires action’ it said. The organization in a letter to Delhi police commissioner demanded appointment of a senior police officer to deal with the rest of the investigation.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1991