A family court in Pune has granted interim custody of a nine-year-old boy to his father, who is based in Singapore, observing that the child’s welfare would be better protected with him after the mother allegedly ignored multiple court orders and repeatedly denied the father access to his son.
The court observed that a woman is expected to keep her marriage vows, care for her husband physically and emotionally, pray for him and seek his good, and if she does not perform these ‘pious’ duties towards her husband, then the future of their child is ‘unsafe’ with her.
The couple, married since 2012, welcomed their son in 2016 and shifted to Singapore in 2022, where the father worked as a vice president at a technology company, and the child attended an international school.
According to court records, the mother returned to Pune with the child in March 2025 while the father was away on an official trip. She allegedly enrolled the boy in a local school without informing him and refused to take the child back to Singapore.
The father subsequently initiated legal proceedings in both Singapore and India. A Singapore family court awarded him custody in July 2025 and directed the mother to return the child. Since she neither challenged nor complied with that ruling, the father approached the Pune family court under the Guardians and Wards Act. Earlier proceedings were revisited after the Bombay High Court directed the family court to reconsider the issue, placing the child’s welfare above all else.
Court Cites Obstruction And Child’s Distress
Family Court Judge Ganesh Ghule, while granting interim custody, noted that the mother had consistently failed to follow judicial directions. A court-appointed commissioner tasked with facilitating meetings between the father and son reportedly encountered resistance from her side.
The court also referred to allegations that the child had been influenced to describe his father as a “devil” and had expressed disturbing thoughts about not wanting to see him alive. The judge observed that such remarks from a 10-year-old indicated emotional distress.
Noting that the father had to repeatedly struggle just to communicate with his son, the court remarked that there could be few experiences more painful for a parent.
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The judge said the mother could not simply disregard the Singapore court’s decision when she had neither challenged it nor pointed out any legal flaws in the ruling. Judicial orders, the court said, could not be treated as mere paperwork.
The court also took into account that the child had spent nearly three years in Singapore, studied under the Cambridge curriculum and developed a stable social environment there. It further noted that the father held a senior professional position and that the child’s grandmother was available to assist with his care.
Allegations Against Father To Be Examined
The mother had levelled allegations of domestic abuse, infidelity and workplace misconduct against the father. However, the court declined to make any findings on those claims at the interim stage, saying they would be considered during the full trial.
The judge also made observations on marital responsibilities and remarked that the child’s future could be affected by the environment in which he was being raised. The court directed the mother to hand over custody of the child to the father immediately, while clarifying that the order was temporary and would not influence the final verdict in the case.
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