‘Missing kids’ cases to get priority’

Alarmed at the number of cases involving missing children, justice Ranjana Desai and justice RG Ketkar of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the court staff to prepare a separate list of such cases, which will be heard on priority basis on Monday.

The two-judge bench is hearing several habeas corpus petitions where a parent has sought the courts help to trace a missing child. Most of the cases involve matrimonial disputes where one parent has taken the child away to frustrate custody proceedings.

Among the cases is the petition filed by an Australian lady claiming that her ex-husband, who is an Indian, has “kidnapped” her minor son and brought him to Mumbai despite orders to the contrary from the Australian courts.

In another case, Ulhasnagar resident Preeti Chugh said that her estranged husband has “run away” with her four-year-old son and one Manpreet Biji alleged that her son has been “kidnapped” by her father-in-law.

Alarmed at the number of cases involving missing children, Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RG Ketkar of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the court staff to prepare a separate list of such cases, which will be heard on a priority basis on Monday.