A court in India has come to the rescue of two Australian children who were allegedly detained by their father.
The children aged 11 and 12 are Australian citizens and were produced in the court by a court-appointed warrant officer after they were freed from their father’s custody, The Tribune reported.
The court has also directed the Authorities in India to help their mother in taking them back to Australia.
Navjinder Kaur, the mother of the children approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court and filed a hebeas corpus petition (to seek the release of a detained person), alleging that her children were unlawfully detained.
Punjab and Haryana High Court appointed a warrant officer to ascertain the facts after of the case following the mother's petition.
Having secured the release of the children, the warrant officer told the court that the children want to stay with the mother.
“I have made enquiries from the children. Both of them say they want to reside with their mother-petitioner and they, being Australian citizens, would like to go to Australia with their mother,” the warrant officer said in his report.
The children were handed over to Ms Kaur at the court premises itself on Monday.
The warrant officer also told the court he faced resistance from the father during his investigation.
The court was also told that the father hadn’t yet handed over the passports of the children.
The bench headed by Justice AB Chaudhari directed the police to raid the premises of the respondent-father and other concerned to find the passports of the children.
