HC denies mom custody as kid is 'happy with grandparents'

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand HC dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by a woman, Jyoti Nautiyal, who approached the court seeking an order to “liberate her 8-year-old daughter from custody of her in-laws”. The court observed, “Since custody of the minor girl with the father and grandparents cannot be termed unlawful, we did not find any scope for interference in this habeas corpus petition."

Earlier, the court, upon accepting Nautiyal’s petition, had directed police to produce the girl before it. In the courtroom, the child said “she is happy with her grandparents” and expressed the desire for her mother to “join their company so that the family can stay together”.

Nautiyal stated her husband, Gaurav, is an addict, rendering him mentally unfit to care for their minor daughter. She accused her in-laws of “expressing dissatisfaction” at the time of her daughter’s birth and subjecting her to “continuous harassment”.