Goa, Nov. 5 -- The Allahabad High Court has slapped a fine of Rs.75,000 on the Uttar Pradesh government for persisting with an investigation into a kidnapping case, even after the alleged victim told a magistrate that she had travelled to Delhi voluntarily to visit her daughter.

A division bench of Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Babita Rani issued the order while hearing a petition filed by Umed alias Ubaid Khan and others, seeking to quash an FIR registered against them in Bahraich district under Section 140 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to kidnapping for murder.

The court observed that despite the victim's categorical statement asserting her voluntary travel, the authorities continued the probe and kept the peti...