Ensure child is not removed from Sonepat: HC to police

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Sonepat police to ensure that a child whose custody is a matter of dispute between an NRI couple not be removed from the jurisdiction of the district.

The HC bench of justice HS Sidhu also directed the police to ensure that the boy whose age is stated to be 2.5 years is safe and take passport of the child into their custody. Further, the child is to be produced during a hearing on September 28 through video conferencing.

The bench of justice HS Sidhu acted on the plea of the NRI father, from UK, who had sought that a warrant officer be appointed to produce the minor child, who is stated to be in illegal custody of the family of the mother in Sonepat.

As per the plea, the marriage was solemnised in November 2010 and they have two children, a 10-year-old girl and the boy. Due to marital discord between the couple, the woman had left for her maternal home with both the minors from the UK in March 2020 without informing her husband.

When he went to her home, she refused to accompany him. He approached the HC in October 2020 seeking direction to police to get the children released.

The plea further claimed that in July 2021, a UK court had directed that the children be made available to spend time with the father for which time was fixed.

However, during video calls, he had notice something “unusual” and when in September 2021, he went to meet the children, he was allegedly assaulted by his wife’s family.

The father had apprehended that he feared the child could be illegally removed from Sonepat as the wife has gone back to the UK and child could be taken to an undisclosed location.

FATHER HAD SOUGHT THAT A WARRANT OFFICER BE APPOINTED TO PRODUCE MINOR, STATED TO BE IN ILLEGAL CUSTODY OF THE MOTHER’S FAMILY IN SONEPAT