Senior Advocate P. S. Patwalia, representing the petitioner, submitted that the District Court had granted custody of the child to the father, but the mother had refused to comply. He added that the husband had approached the High Court with a contempt petition, which was dismissed, prompting the current appeal before the Supreme Court.Patwalia alleged that the mother was brainwashing the child and turning her against the father. He referred to an incident in which the child, allegedly under the mother’s instructions, demanded Rs 1 crore and physically assaulted her father with a stick.He also noted that the child’s school records no longer listed the father’s name, reportedly due to the mother’s interference.The senior advocate clarified that the father’s primary concern was to have meaningful parenting time and ensure the welfare of the child.Patwalia proposed mediation to resolve the matter, which the respondent eventually agreed to.Acknowledging the matrimonial nature of the dispute, the court referred both parties to mediation. “Taking into consideration that the dispute is a matrimonial dispute, we consider it appropriate to refer the parties to mediation,” the court said.With the consent of both parties, the Supreme Court appointed Justice Ritu Bahri, former Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, as the mediator to consider all issues between them. The matter has been posted for further hearing after eight weeks.
Source link
