Mumbai: High Court orders birth mother to stay away from teenager

The Bombay High Court has ruled in favour of a family who brought up a child after she was abandoned by her biological mother at birth The court ruled in favour of the family as per the decision of the girlJustice Gautam Patel in his order on July 24 has given clear instructions that the biological mother is not to have any access to the now 14yearold girl until further orders midday had highlighted the girls plight in its July 8 reportJustice Patel said I have met the young lady personally in my chambers At my instance the court staff Mrs Chandan Bhatt and Mrs Shephali Mormare also spoke with her She has from July 4 2018 until today been in the care not custody of advocate Kalpana Merchant Merchant has provided the minor with shelter in view of certain past incidentsThe court further stated The young lady herself is quite emphatic that she does not want to go anywhere except to the petitioners family and home She is articulate intelligent and knows her mind well She knows where her own interests lie Her own wishes given her age cannot be ignored the judge stated Her custody will be handed over to the petitioners in court I trust that they will provide the necessary protection and security for her The fourth respondent biological mother is not until further orders to have any access to the minor the order readsA copy of the order was also furnished to the police officer concerned attached to Tardeo police station to periodically monitor the situation and to ensure that there is no untoward incidentAdvocate Mikhail Dey who has been following the case in HC said The court has rightly considered the minors wishes of staying with the petitioner It has given the required protection that will assure her safety from her own biological mother who had once attempted to abduct her from the petitioners custodyThe caseThe petitioners family lives in a chawl at Tardeo and has been taking care of the 14yearold girl since birth when her biological mother had deserted her and moved out of Mumbai The petitioners though did not have any legal documentation or papers to establish the same The child was accepted as their own and they enrolled her in a school nearby where she was doing very well academically and had even won some awards The petitioners have two sons whom the girl considers her brothers said advocate DeyChild under protectionAdvocate Kalpana Merchant was asked by the court to allow the girl to live with her for the childs safety which the advocate willingly agreed to Her biological mother had returned after 14 years and was demanding her daughter back She had once also tried to kidnap the child The advocate bore all costs of the childs stay with her the court saidAlso readMumbai In a rare case court steps in to protect minor from her motherCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates