Now Reading: Karnataka high court scraps Rs 5,000 fee for father meeting son
-
01
Karnataka high court scraps Rs 5,000 fee for father meeting son
The Karnataka high court has set aside a family court order that required a father to pay Rs 5,000 every time he met his four-and-a-half-year-old son. Justice P Sree Sudha ruled on…
The Story in Brief
The Karnataka high court has set aside a family court order that required a father to pay Rs 5,000 every time he met his four-and-a-half-year-old son. Justice P Sree Sudha ruled on July 24 that the payment was unjustified, especially since the mother had requested the change in visitation venue herself.
The parents live just 1.7 km apart in Bengaluru. In May 2023, the family court allowed the father to meet his son at a Coffee Day outlet. In December 2024, the mother requested visits shift to the family court's visitation room, 16 km from both homes. The court also noted the mother had failed to bring the child for several scheduled visits without notice, reflecting reluctance to facilitate the father's access.
The Indian Opinion
A mother demanding travel money to let a father see his child, while living barely 2 km apart, sounds punitive, not protective. The family court’s original order assumed the father should bankroll every visit, as if access to his son were a service he must purchase. Justice Sree Sudha correctly saw through this: the mother herself asked for the venue change, so she cannot bill the father for it. The real test now is whether she will comply with the visitation schedule without further obstruction. A single missed visit without notice will tell us more than any affidavit could.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
