Custody battle: Court directs police escort child for meeting

A court here has directed that Delhi Police personnel escort a minor girl whenever she comes to the court to meet her mother, who is seeking her custody, as her father apprehends that she might be kidnapped.
Additional District Judge Pawan Kumar Matto passed the order after the child's father alleged that a woman had tried to take her away in September when he had brought her to Karkardooma court complex so that she can meet her mother as directed by the court.
Her mother stays separately and has filed a case in the court seeking the minor's custody.
"Since the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration and the child and respondent (man) are apprehending that the child may be kidnapped away, so, in order to avoid any such untoward incident, this court is of the considered view that no prejudice will be caused to the petitioner (woman) in case the escort of the police is given to the child.

"Accordingly, incharge of the Police Post, Karkardooma Court is directed to give atleast one constable as the escort of the police to the minor child, on 1st and 3rd Saturday of every calender month between 2 PM to 3 PM from the main gate of the court to this courtroom and from this courtroom to main gate of court," the judge said.
The court also directed the man to contact the Police Post incharge in the court on the visitation days so that police escort can be given to the child and also sent a copy for compliance of the order to the officer.

The custody petition is pending before the court and during the proceedings, the woman was granted visitation right to meet her daughter twice a month in the the courtroom.

The man told the court that in September, when the girl who is living with him was going back home after meeting her mother, a woman had allegedly tried to forcibly take away the child.
He alleged that the woman had accompanied his estranged wife on that day in the court.
The minor's mother, in her reply, said that her friend was accompanying her in the court at that time and the alleged incident had not taken place in her presence.

She assured the court that in future she would not bring any stranger with her and would come with her parents to meet her daughter.
The judge had also asked the child about the incident and she also gave the same details as her father had told the court.