12 days on, mum still not united with kid who's with B'wood director

The biological mother of a twoyearold boy who is currently with his foster parent a wellknown Bollywood director is yet to be reunited with her childmidday had first reported the mothers plight on December 5 The woman recovering from a mental illness had demanded that she wanted her child back However his foster family has refused to give him up It has been 12 days and her plea has not been answered yetOn Saturday as per the Child Welfare Committee CWC directives the biological mother attended the last session for the physical and mental health condition evaluation by a team of doctors from the department of Psychiatry and General Medicine at BYL Nair hospitalThe biological mother who was admitted to Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation a home for the mentally ill run by Dr Bharat Vatwani a psychiatrist and 2018 Ramon Magsaysay winner has expressed concern over the delay in uniting the infant with his biological motherAs per the CWC directive the biological mother had been undergoing medical and psychiatric evaluation For the last four days she had been visiting BYL Nair Hospital where she would be examined from 9 am to 2 pm and then brought back to the centre On Saturday the hospital declared her physically fit in the Medical Fitness Report Her Psychiatric Fitness Report is awaited and hopefully it should be handed over in a sealed envelope to the Borivli Railway Police by Monday The police will submit the report to CWCDescribing the situation as unfortunate and tragic Dr Vatwani said that despite Section 21 2 of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 stating that a child under the age of three years of a woman receiving care treatment or rehabilitation at a mental health establishment cannot be separated from her during her stay unless the treating psychiatrists authorise it the twoyearold was separated from his biological mother before she was brought to his centreFarzana Ansari social worker with Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation who has been involved in the case from day one and has been escorting the biological mother to CWC and BYL Nair hospital said The biological mother keeps asking whether the repeated series of tests is going to continue and if so for how long She wants her son backThe Bombay Psychiatric Society BPS has also written to the CWC raising concerns over the delay Dr Milan Balakrishnan Secretary BPS said The Bombay Psychiatric Society has appealed to CWC to reunite the child with the biological mother at the earliest to prevent further mental health difficulties the entire family could face as a result of this estrangement He added The CWC has acknowledged our concern and said that the decision will be taken in the interest of the childDr Sanjay Kumavat senior consulting psychiatrist and former Deputy Director Mental Health Government of Maharashtra said that he is contemplating to file a habeas corpus petition before the Bombay High Court I am already in consultation with my lawyers We will demand stringent action against all the parties including CWC members and even FSC officials who have worked in connivance to support the foster parents and deliberately deprived the biological mother from getting her infant back21 2Section of Mental Healthcare Act 2017 that has been floutedKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news