HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has sought a report on the wellbeing of a two-year-old girl removed from her adoptive parents during an investigation into a child trafficking network. A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin directed the Women and Child Welfare department to place its assessment before the court.
The bench was hearing a writ appeal by the couple seeking restoration of custody. The matter has been listed for consideration on March 10.
The appeal challenges a January 28 order of a single judge who declined to restore custody on the ground that the adoption was not conducted in accordance with statutory procedure. The court recorded that the child was obtained through a mediator linked to trafficking cases.
Dismissing the plea, the single judge said that emotional bonds arising from an unlawful adoption could not legitimise a “backdoor” process.
During the appeal hearing, counsel for the couple conceded that the adoption was not routed through recognised legal channels and that payment had been made to an intermediary. Counsel urged the bench to consider custody in the child’s best interests.
The appellants relied on a recent ruling of the Supreme Court invoking Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers the apex court to pass orders to do complete justice.
The bench noted that the apex court had clarified that its directions in the cited case were confined to specific facts and were not meant as a precedent.