NEW DELHI: In a matrimonial dispute extending beyond India, the Supreme Court has given interim custody of a child to his father, who lives in India, saying the boy’s mother took courts in both India and the UK for a ride and never intended to let their son meet his father.The woman, who had moved to the UK to escape a discordant marital life and pursue a career, deceitfully told both a British court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court that her daughter and son were living with her in England when she had actually left her son with her parents in Sonepat, Haryana. She went to great lengths to conceal from her estranged husband their son is living with her parents in Sonepat — she hid the boy’s location and background whenever his father called to speak.
Man finds his son at parents-in-law’s house When the father grew suspicious and went to the parents-in-law’s house, he found his son living there but was beaten by them.The UK HC had criticised the woman saying: “It is clear from the above that the mother lured the court into error by failing to disclose that she had only removed Miss N to the UK and that Master K remained in India. This crude subterfuge, which was always going to be found out, does the mother no credit at all.”Against this backdrop, the father moved the Punjab and Haryana HC for custody of his son, which was granted to him. The woman, her parents and her brother challenged the HC order before the SC.A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, noted an interesting fact in the unusual cross-country matrimonial litigation: the woman had filed for divorce in the UK, which was opposed by the husband. And the divorce petition filed by the husband at a Jind court was opposed by her.The bench said, “The case reflects a deep-rooted conflict between the mother and father, arising from their divergent intentions regarding staying together and raising their children in India.Granting interim custody of the child to the father, the court said the parents can initiate proceedings for custody of the child before the family court, in his best interests.
