E-Paper
Mother stuck in UK, HC gives minor boy’s custody to father
The Punjab and Haryana high court order came on the plea of a Jind man, who had sought the custody of his two-year-old son, living with the parents of his estranged wife
The Punjab and high court has given custody of a minor boy to his father as the mother is stuck in United Kingdom, due to litigation between the couple.
The high court order came on the plea of a Jind man, who had sought the custody of his two-year-old son, living with the parents of his estranged wife.
“The petitioner is the natural guardian of his minor child. But for some bald allegations made against him, there is no reason to believe that he would not conduct himself as a good and caring father,” the bench of justice HS Sidhu said, adding that the mother’s return is uncertain in view of her passport and travel documents having been seized because of the pending proceedings initiated by the her husband in the UK.
The woman had told the court that she intended to return to India to take her son to the UK.
However, the court said it would not be in the interest of the minor to be permitted to travel to UK pending a determination of various disputes between the parties in the courts. Also, the woman would have to single-handedly take care of the son and a daughter, which may be difficult in view of the demands of her career.
In India, the minor boy can enjoy the care, love and affection of his grandparents and other members of the family both on the paternal and maternal side and his father.
According to case, the couple married in November 2010 and are parents of two children --- a 10-year-old girl and the boy --- who was born in the UK in 2019. Soon after that, the couple came to India and a matrimonial discord started. They both started living separately --- the woman in Sonepat with her parents and the husband in Jind at his parents’ home. Both the children were in mother’s care. The husband had approached the high court for custody in September. Later, it came to light that the woman went back to the UK leaving the son in Sonepat with her parents.
