NEW DELHI: A woman received the ire of the Supreme Court after it slammed her for allegedly coaching her daughter to assault her father with a stick and demanding Rs 1 crore in return for agreeing to live with him.
The woman and her husband are embroiled in a matrimonial dispute, which has reached multiple courts. The husband approached the Supreme Court after the woman failed to hand over custody of their minor daughter, despite a District Court order in his favor.
After hearing submissions from the petitioner’s counsel, the Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B. R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran questioned the mother, asking why she was harming her child's mental well-being.
Coming down heavily on the mother for her lack of sensitivity, the CJI observed, “You are unnecessarily dragging your child. You are spoiling the career of your child, you are spoiling her mind, it will come back someday.”
During Thursday’s hearing, the mother appeared before the court in person.
The apex court expressed surprise at her alleged behavior and cautioned her for reportedly tutoring her daughter to assault her father and demand Rs 1 crore from him. Subsequently, the court referred both parties to mediation.
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.