Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Friday sought a detailed status report on the wellbeing of a two-year-old girl rescued from her adoptive parents last year during a probe into a major child trafficking racket.A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin directed the women and child welfare department to file the report and posted the matter to March 10. The directions came while hearing an appeal filed by a Nalgonda couple challenging a single judge’s order denying them custody.On Jan 28, the single judge refused custody on the ground that the child was not adopted through legal channels and was allegedly procured from a person involved in trafficking. Dismissing the plea, the judge observed that emotional bonds formed through illegal means cannot justify ‘backdoor’ adoptions, and that legalising such arrangements would encourage child trafficking and systemic illegalities. Lack of parental careDuring Friday’s hearing, the couple’s counsel argued that though procedures were not strictly followed and payment was made to a mediator, the child’s welfare and future should weigh with the court, particularly as the child has been suffering with huge mental agony and depression due to lack of parental care. Citing a recent Supreme Court ruling invoking Article 142 to ensure ‘complete justice’, the counsel sought similar relief. The bench, however, noted that the apex court had clarified its order would not serve as a precedent and was confined to that case. Opposing the appeal, the department submitted that the child was taken without the biological parents’ knowledge from a key accused in a trafficking racket busted in Suryapet district. Officials said 16 trafficked children had been rescued from the gang. The bench recorded the submissions and adjourned the matter.
