Six affluent couples who ‘bought’ children apply for adoption

Six affluent couples, who each allegedly bought a child, have approached the city civil court for permission to adopt them. The Bombay High Court on Wednesday set deadlines for the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the lower court to ensure expeditious hearing of their pleas.

A division bench of Justices BP Dharmadhikari and Sadhana Jadhav ordered that the criminal case registered against the couples in July this year for allegedly purchasing children should not be taken into account while

considering their adoption pleas.

“We are satisfied there is no harm to the safety or welfare of the child… the parents have no criminal antecedents,” the bench observed after perusing documents submitted by the couples on their social standing and

criminal record. “Pendency [of the criminal case] should not be used to deny adoption,” the bench added.

The bench then directed the civil court to initiate the adoption proceedings within one week and the CWC to ensure that the social investigation report (SIR) is prepared within six weeks. A SIR is a report prepared by an Adoption Agency under the CWC. The civil court will then have to decide it the children are fit for adoption within three months.

The parents, represented by advocates Niranjan Mundargi and Randhir Kale, had approached the HC in September this year for quashing the FIR against them as well as seeking interim custody of the children. The bench, however, refused to hand over temporary custody of the children to the parents observing that an adverse order on any of their adoption pleas would affect the kids. All the children were allegedly sold right after

they were born. The youngest is just nine months old while the oldest is 7 years and 10 months.