NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Supreme Court has directed the Central government to take urgent steps to secure the return of a child allegedly taken out of India to Russia.
"We are not going to leave this (case). Our dignity is at stake. After we had taken the child into our custody, the mother, with the help of the Russian Embassy, went away through Nepal. We feel the Russian Federation is aware of it. You (Centre) have to throw all your weight behind this," the Court remarked.
The minor child was in the formal custody of the judiciary when his mother, Russian national Viktoriia Basu, allegedly exploited the legal system's leniency to orchestrate a cross-border escape. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu expressed displeasure over the alleged ease with which she managed to leave the country.
The Bench took serious exception to the alleged role of foreign entities, noting that the mother had managed to travel through Nepal and reach Russian territory, allegedly with the active assistance of the Russian Embassy.
The Court told the Central government that it must deploy all its administrative and diplomatic resources to resolve the matter.
"We are not going to leave this," the Bench declared, emphasising that allowing a foreign national to disregard Indian court orders directly undermines the dignity of the country's judicial system.
The Delhi Police informed the Saket court that a global Red Notice had been issued against Viktoriia. A formal extradition request, supported by a multi-agency package, has been sent through the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs to seek the Russian government's cooperation in securing her return.
The Supreme Court Bench maintained that the alleged unauthorised departure was an unacceptable affront to ongoing judicial proceedings. The judges indicated that the matter would have serious legal consequences and adjourned the hearing for a month, giving diplomatic channels time to deliver tangible results.
