Grandparents entitled to meet grandchildren living with single parent: HC

 HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday adjudicated that grandparents are entitled to meet their grandchildren who are staying with a single parent, as they play an “important role” in a child’s development.

The court was dealing with a case in which the petitioner, a grandmother, sought the right to visit her granddaughter, who was staying with her father after her mother’s death.

Justice Kanneganti Lalitha of the Telangana High Court observed: “Grandparents play an impressive role in a child’s life which complements the role of the parents. Hence, they are entitled to have love and affection for the grandchild”.

The judge said that the welfare of a child must be looked at from multiple perspectives, and not just the economic aspect of it.

“If the father/mother is able to take care of the child, that alone cannot be the consideration. A child will evolve into a complete person basing on his/her experience, the way she/he was taken care of by near and dear in life. Every child is entitled to a happy childhood. The kind of love and affection, sense of security and warmth a grandchild derives from the presence of the grandparents is undoubtedly significant,” the Court said.

In the case it was dealing with, the girl’s father, who had remarried after his first wife died, was denying his in-laws, i.e., maternal grandparents of the daughter, from meeting her. The grandparents lodged a complaint against their son-in-law.

Disposing of the petition, the court said: “The internal disputes should not have the effect on the mental growth of the child and if the upbringing takes place with hatred towards grandparents, the child will definitely not evolve into a good human being. This will have lifetime negative effect.”

The court said that a “good-natured interaction and affection to grandchildren would be conducive for the overall well-being of the child”, allowing the grandmother to meet her granddaughter once a week.