In the wake of the order issued by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Burdwan to hand over custody of Abhigyan and Aishwarya to their mother Sagarika Chakraborty, their father Anurup Bhattacharya said on Saturday that he will move court against the CWC order.
“The order has raised many questions,” Mr. Bhattacharya told The Hindu over telephone from Norway.
The children remain in the Kulti residence of the Bhattacharya family in the State’s Bardhaman district as Mr. Bhattacharya’s brother, Dr. Arunabhash Bhattacharya, was appointed the children’s “primary caretaker” according to an agreement signed by the couple in March this year.
The Bhattacharya family has alleged “bias” on the part of the CWC, Burdwan in the manner in which the November 8 order handing over the children’s custody to Ms. Chakraborty has been issued. Certain irregularities, regarding the procedure of issuing the order, have also come to light.
While the Bhattacharya family maintains that the agreement appointing Dr. Bhattacharya as the children’s guardian, signed in Norway in the presence of an official of the Indian Embassy there is inviolable, Ms. Chakraborty has said now that the children are back in India, it is the CWC that is the competent authority to decide on their welfare and on whether they should stay in foster care.
She has pointed out that the agreement, which states that it “should be governed by the relevant laws of India as mentioned in note from the Embassy of India” itself ensure that the CWC has the power to act.
