Bihar IAS Vandana Preyasi Appointed as Mentor for Girl by High Court

An 18-year-old girl from Bhopal, who had earlier left home to prepare for the civil services, has now agreed to return and live with her parents. She will continue her preparation for the civil services while staying with her family. After she conveyed this final decision, a division bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Sanjiv Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf appointed a woman IAS officer posted in Bihar as her official mentor and guide.

Speaking to The Newsline Post, the girl’s father said he has assured the High Court that he will take proper care of his daughter and support her studies. He also committed to providing full assistance for her civil services preparation and said there would be no pressure on her regarding marriage. He expressed his wish to see his daughter become an IAS officer.

After the girl agreed to return to her parents, the High Court assigned a woman IAS officer from Bihar to guide her preparation. IAS Vandana Preyasi, currently serving as Secretary of the Social Welfare Department in Patna, has been asked by the court to mentor the girl and help her prepare for the civil services. The bench also instructed the investigating officer to return all items that were seized from the girl during the inquiry.

In an earlier hearing, the girl—who had been living independently in Indore, working and preparing for civil services—had refused to stay with her parents. The High Court, however, advised her to spend a few days with her family and decide for herself whether she wished to stay with them. The court had said that if she was uncomfortable, arrangements could be made for her to live separately.

After spending some time with her parents, the girl informed the court during the November 12 hearing that she now preferred to live with them and continue her preparation at home.

What was the case?
The matter reached the High Court when a father from Bhopal’s Bajaria area filed a habeas corpus petition. He stated that his daughter had gone missing and that he had filed a missing persons report, but the police had failed to trace her for months. The court then directed the police to locate the girl and present her before the court.