HC issues notice to child care centre over child’s custody

Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by a ‘minor’ mother seeking the custody of her nine-month old daughter, the Bombay high court on Tuesday issued a notice to a child care centre in Matunga, asking it to file reply as to under which law it took custody of the petitioner’s baby.

The division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Prakash Naik issued this notice while hearing petition filed by ‘minor mother’ and her husband. Advocate Asif Naqvi along with Shehzad Naqvi on behalf of the parents informed the court that the couple wanted to get married but the girl’s family disapproved it because the boy is a Muslim and girl’s family is Hindu.

The couple was blessed with a baby girl last year, but owing to anger over the daughter’s inter-faith relationship, her father registered an FIR with the police against the boy under various sections of the POCSO Act and Indian Penal Code.