Child sent with aunt after custody drama in Madras High Court
Court ordered the toddler to be handed over to his aunt after he kept crying when his grandmother tried taking him.
Chennai: High drama prevailed on the corridors of the Madras high court on October 3 when two women indulged in a sudden altercation over the custody of a one and half-year-old boy. Before anybody could realise what transpired the two women -Vijaya and Latha– were involved in heated arguments after coming out of the court hall. Both became emotional after the court passed over the matter, while hearing a petition for custody of the toddler, who kept crying continuously. As the CISF personnel present on the corridors could not understand Tamil, the local police were called and on their intervention, they calmed down. Vijaya of Udayarpalayam in Ariyalur district filed a habeas corpus petition for the custody of her grandson to her.
According to Vijaya, her son and Kanagavalli got married and Kanagavalli gave birth to a boy. However, due to a difference of opinion, they got separated in 2016. Later on, a complaint from Latha, sister of Kanagavalli, police arrested Vijaya’s husband and son on the charges of murder. While so, Latha threatened her and forcibly took the child from her custody, Vijaya alleged in her petition.
The HCP came up for hearing on October 3 before a division bench comprising Justices Rajiv Shakder and N. Sathishkumar. When the police took the custody of the child from Latha and produced before the bench, the child started crying continuously. The matter was passed over. When the matter was taken up again after half an hour, Latha explained that her sister was subjected to harassment and murdered by Vijaya’s family. During the hearing, Vijaya snatched the child from Latha. Refusing to go with Vijaya, the child started crying again continuously.
When the bench directed the police to hand over the child to Latha, the child immediately stopped crying. On noticing this, the bench in its brief order said, “The parties will ensure that the child continues to be in possession of Latha till the orders are passed by a competent court. The police were directed to provide security to Latha as well as the child”.