The Supreme Court (SC) upheld on Thursday the right of a man to meet his children living with his estranged wife.
Fixing the schedule for Neeraj Bhasin to meet his seven-year-old son living with his wife, Sumana, for the past three years, the court, however, ruled that there wouldn’t be any such compulsion on their elder son as he was not fond of Neeraj.
But the 15-year-old could accompany his younger brother to allay Sumana’s fears that Neeraj could win the seven-year-old over by showering gifts on him, SC said.
While fixing eight hours for the father-son meeting on Saturdays, the court expressed hope that the estranged couple wouldn’t resort to “competition to capture the mind and affection” of their younger son.
If that happens, it would be “most harmful for the boy, as he would most likely develop divided loyalties and eventually a divided personality”.
The couple, married for over 16 years, had separated a few years ago over mutual differences. The children have been the bone of contention between them, with Sumana having strong reservations over Neeraj meeting them and the father insisting on his right to interact with them.
During the proceedings before the apex court, Sumana forthwith turned down Neeraj’s offer for reconciliation. In fact, she has levelled serious allegations against him in the proceedings pending before the trial court. She moved SC after a high court allowed Neeraj to meet the kids.
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