The Bombay High Court on Wednesday held that there was no criminal offence against the Preet Mandir, a Pune- based adoption agency in the allegedly illegal foreign adoption of the grand daughters of a vegetable vendor from Satara.

The court observed that the adoption agency has not committed any crime in rehabilitating two minor girls with a Spanish family.

A division bench comprising Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice A R Joshi rejected a petition filed by Kisabai Lokhande (70), grandmother of two children aged 15 and 10 who were adopted by a Spanish family. She had filed a petition in the court requesting that her grandchildren be returned to her and demanding criminal prosecution against the adoption agency.

She had sought probe against the Child Welfare Committee at Satara, the Central Adoption Resource Centre (CARA), a Spanish NGO, and Preet Mandir for illegally declaring the two girls as destitute and executing the adoption without the guardian’s consent.

Lokhande, in her petition, had said that the girls were orphaned after their mother went missing four years ago and their father died. Her advocate said that the adoption was carried out in violation of the Juvenile Justice Act as the sanction of their guardian was not sought.

The respondents in the case, however, said that the girls were sent to Preet Mandir after the CWC felt that their grandmother could not look after them. Justice Bilal Nazki and justice AR Joshi said,

“We do not find the action of the respondents inviting any criminal action. The complaint filed with the police does not disclose any cognisable offence.”

... contd.