Children are treated like "chattel" or movable property in matrimonial disputes, the Bombay High Court said on Tuesday while directing a woman to come to India from Thailand with her 15-year-old son so that he can meet his father and siblings.

Such disputes "constitute the most bitterly fought adversarial litigation" in our country, said a division bench of Justices R D Dhanuka and Gauri Godse, adding that a child's welfare is more important than the parents' rights over her or him.