This is an archive article published on October 11, 2020
Child trafficking racket in Mumbai: Delhi couple allowed to adopt rescued 4-year-old boy
The Delhi-based couple will now be the adoptive parents of the four-year-old child, who has been staying at an adoption centre after being rescued by the police last year.
OVER A year after the Mumbai Police busted an inter-state child trafficking racket, where children were allegedly bought from biological parents and sold to couples looking to adopt them, a city civil court has allowed one of the couples to legally adopt a child allegedly sold to them.
The Delhi-based couple will now be the adoptive parents of the four-year-old child, who has been staying at an adoption centre after being rescued by the police last year.
The court has directed the municipal authorities concerned to issue a birth certificate of the child and declare him as the couple’s son. The child’s custody will be handed over to the couple by the city’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) after an appeal period is over and requisite procedures are completed.
The court has also directed a police officer in charge of the social service cell to regularly depute a woman constable to the couple’s home to ensure that the boy is being taken proper care, till the criminal proceedings in the case are completed.
Last year, the Mumbai Police had rescued six children, aged between 18 months and seven years, claiming they had busted a trafficking racket. The police said the children — all male and belonging to poor parents — were sold through a nexus of surrogate mothers, hospital staff, IVF centre employees to families looking to adopt children.
Four adoptive parents, who were arrested, had submitted to the court that they had not purchased the children but were given the impression by the other accused that they were lawfully adopting them without any pecuniary transaction involved.
The six children, who were by then already with their new families and some of them going to school, were rescued and sent to an adoption centre, following which the couples had sought their temporary custody stating they were taking good care of them.
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They had also submitted that the children were facing the trauma of separation pending a decision on the case due to no fault of theirs. The CWC, however, had refused to grant them temporary or permanent custody stating they had not been legally adopted.
A petition was then filed by the couples seeking to complete required adoption proceedings. The Bombay High Court had in August directed the city civil court to complete the proceedings within eight weeks.
The Delhi-based couple had submitted that they had not paid any money for the four-year-old boy, but had adopted him as per the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act. The adoption proceedings of four other couples are pending while in one case, the biological mother of the child has also claimed his custody.
The criminal proceedings in the case are pending with a petition by the couples, seeking quashing of the FIR against them, also before the Bombay High Court. During the lockdown, the court had allowed the parents to interact with the children through video-conference.
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The police had arrested a few others in the case, including an alleged key accused who coordinated with both sets of parents, nurses and others. All of them have been granted bail.
Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems. Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.
Expertise
Specialized Role: As a dedicated Legal Correspondent, Sadaf Modak possesses deep, specialized knowledge of legal procedures, statutes, and judicial operations, lending immense Authority to her reports.
Core Authority & Focus: Her work primarily centers on:
Trial Court Proceedings: She mainly covers the trial courts of Mumbai, providing crucial, on-the-ground reporting on the day-to-day legal processes that affect citizens. She maintains a keen eye on both major criminal cases and the "ordinary and not so ordinary events" that reveal the human element within the justice system.
Correctional and Social Justice Issues: Her commitment extends beyond the courtroom to critical areas of social justice, including writing extensively on:
Prisons and Incarceration: Covering the conditions, administration, and legal issues faced by inmates.
Juvenile Justice: Reporting on the complexities of the juvenile justice system and the legal rights of children.
Human Rights: Focusing on fundamental human rights within the context of law enforcement and state institutions.
Experience
Institutional Affiliation: Reporting for The Indian Express—a leading national newspaper—ensures her coverage is subject to high editorial standards of accuracy, impartiality, and legal rigor.
Impactful Detail: Her focus on trial courts provides readers with direct, detailed insights into the workings of the justice system, making complex legal narratives accessible and establishing her as a reliable and trusted chronicler of the legal landscape.
Sadaf Modak's blend of judicial focus and commitment to human rights issues establishes her as a vital and authoritative voice in Indian legal journalism.
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