HC returns Norway kids to mother

Custody row Court imposes conditions

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday returned the custody of the two children back to their mother Sagarika Chakrabarty after imposing a few conditions.

The children — Avigyan and Aishwarya — were separated from Sagarika and father, Anurup Bhattacharjee, by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services in May 2011.

Justice Dipankar Dutta said the two kids should be examined by a psychiatrist and a medical report should be filed along with the affidavit.

He also directed that the kids' grandfather, Ajay Bhattacharjee, and uncle, Arunabash, would be allowed to meet them in the chamber of state government counsel Subrata Talukdar on every Saturday. "Advocate Talukdar would decide how the grandfather and uncle would meet the children," said Dutta.

The judge said that after he talked to the two children in Sagarika's presence in his chamber on Wednesday, he felt that the two kids should stay with their mother. "It should be painful for the uncle and grandfather but they should accept it for the larger interest. They had taken care of the children according to requirement," said Dutta.

After the judgment, Sagarika said she was happy with the order and hoped that her husband would return to India so that the kids could live with their parents.

After the Norwegian Child Welfare Services order, the children were brought to India and handed over to their uncle in April 2012. They were staying at Kulti in Burdwan district with their uncle and grandfather.

In May 2012, Sagarika approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for children's custody. After an inquiry, the CWC ordered in favour of the mother. But when the order was not carried out by the police, she moved the High Court on December 20.

While the case was pending before the court, Sagarika, on January 8, allegedly influenced the police to pick up the kids from their uncle's house. But Justice Dutta directed the police to return the kids. "It was a desperate attempt of a mother in distress but the court does not want to draw proceedings against her," said Dutta.

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