Gujarat High Court Orders Release of Woman Held Indefinitely in Shelter Home Against Her Will

The Gujarat High Court has directed the immediate release of a woman who was detained indefinitely in a shelter home against her will, emphasising that such confinement violates fundamental rights to liberty and dignity.

The Gujarat High Court has said that while a magistrate has the power to pass an order to protect the safety of a woman who had lodged a rape complaint, and send her to a shelter home after she refused to go to her own home, she cannot be kept there indefinitely against her will.

The court condemned the authorities' failure to conduct periodic reviews of her status and ordered the state to ensure her safe reintegration into society with the necessary support.