Social media influencer Sonu Srinivas Gowda has been booked for allegedly adopting a girl child without adhering to proper adoption procedures, the police said on Friday.
An official from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) had filed a complaint at the Byadarahalli police in western Bengaluru accusing the 29-year-old Bigg Boss Kannada fame of not following the mandated adoption protocols in adopting an eight-year-old girl from Raichuru.
After arresting the influencer on Thursday, deputy commissioner of police (west) S Girish said, “The complainant has claimed that proper adoption procedures were not followed and that the woman posted reels (short videos) on social media with the child.”
He further said that Gowda had been issued a notice on March 21 regarding the allegations of depriving the rights of the child, but she did not respond.
Reacting to the matter, Geeta S, an official from the directorate of child protection, said, “The influencer had not applied for adoption through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), underscoring the necessity for stringent procedures to safeguard the welfare of adopted children.”
“The child should not have been exposed on a public platform. The identity of the child and the biological family have been revealed due to the post. Sonu has not even applied for adoption so far. There are a lot of procedures to be followed before adopting a child. The department will verify, whether the caretaker is capable enough to take care of the child”, she said.
“Moreover, she is not even married. There should be a 25-year age difference between an adoptive parent and a child. She also admitted that she had given something to the child’s family. There is a need to investigate whether the child was sold. Giving away a child to another for benefit is also wrong. The child’s parents will also be questioned. The Juvenile Delinquency Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, have been completely violated,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“Moreover, she is not even married. There should be a 25-year age difference between an adoptive parent and a child. She also admitted that she had given something to the child’s family. There is a need to investigate whether the child was sold. Giving away a child to another for benefit is also wrong. The child’s parents will also be questioned. The Juvenile Delinquency Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, have been completely violated,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“When I decided to adopt that girl and brought her from Raichur, I promised the child’s parents that I would take care of her. All necessary preparations for adoption were also made, and I promised that I would take care of the child without getting married. I will spend the money that I get from social media to shape her life. But I did not think adoption was such a big process,” a senior officer quoted Gowda’s statement.