Holding

The child must be returned to the mother in the United States, as the foreign court's custody order serves the child's best interests.

Summary

The petitioner, a U.S. citizen, obtained a Michigan Circuit Court decree granting her sole custody of her son and limited visitation to the father, who was an Indian citizen. The father, exploiting his weekend visitation rights, abducted the child to India without court permission, violating the decree and prompting arrest warrants in the United States. The petitioner filed a writ of habeas corpus under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution seeking the child's return. The Supreme Court examined the illegality of the abduction, the applicability of the foreign custody order, and the child's best interests, rejecting the father's claim that the child's preference and schooling in India justified his actions. The Court ordered the child to be restored to the mother and allowed her to take him back to the United States, while directing the father to seek modification of the U.S. order if desired.

Issues considered

Whether an Indian court can enforce a foreign court's custody decree and order the return of a child under Article 32.
Whether the father's removal of the child constitutes illegal abduction and contempt of the foreign court's order.
What constitutes the best interests of the child in an international custody dispute.
Whether the child's expressed preference to stay in India can outweigh the foreign custody order.
Whether the petitioner is entitled to habeas corpus relief to secure custody.

Legislation cited

Constitution of Indias. Article 32

Subjects

child abductioninternational custodybest interests of the childArticle 32habeas corpusforeign judgment enforcementcontempt of courtvisitation rights

Judgment

MRS. ELIZABETH DINSHA W A
v.
ARVAND M. DINSHAW AND ANR.

NOVEMBER l l, 1986

[V. BALAKRISHNA ERADI AND G.L. OZA, JJ.J B

Constitution of India, 1950-Article 32-Divorce in USA-Minor
~ child-Custody given to mother and visiiation rights to father by Ameri-
can Court-Father abducted •the child and brought to 'India against
express orders of the American Court-Orders of proper foreign
.7' Court-Should be regarded-Child restored to mother to be taken back C
1 ·to U.S.A.

of
The petitioner, a citizen of the United States ~erica residing
in Michigan, was married to the first respondent,' an Indian citizen,
who after marriage settled down in the United States and secured em!>"
loyment. A male child was horn to the couple in America. Differences D
arose between them and the petitioder alongwith her son took up sepa-
. rate residence. She fled a petition for divorce in the Circuit Court for
the country of saginaw, Michigan which granted a decree holding that
there had been a breakdown in the marriage relationship and declared
the marriage as dissolved. The decree also directed that the .petitioner
shall have the care, custody and control of the minor child until he E
reaches the age of 18 years. The first respondent, the father was given
visitation rights by the decree. On the subject of travel with the minor
child to any place outside tbe United States, it was directed that only on
a petition tbe Court shall make a determination as to whether ~uch
travel is in the best interest of the minor child, and what conditions shall
be set-forth to ensure the child's return. The 'Court also directed that F
the first respondent shall notify the Office of the Friend .of the Court
promptly concerning any changes in his address.

Taking advantage of the weekend visitation rights granted by the
said decree, the first respondent picked up the child from his school and
secretly left America for India on January I Ith, 1986. He bad not G
intimated the Court about his intention to take the child out of its
jurisdiction and outside the country nor had he given the slightest indi-
cation to the petitioner about his intention to leave America perma-
"nently for India. Immediately before leaving for India, the first respon-
dent sold away his immovable property and it was only from the
Airport that he posted a letter tendering his resignation from his job. H

175
176 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1987] 1 S.C.R.

A Coming to know that the minor child had not been returned to the
day care centre by the first respondent, the petitioner moved' the Circuit
Court complaining against the violation by the first respondent of the
terms of the Conrt's decree: The Conrt isrued a warrant of arrest
against the first respondent on the ground of unlawfnl taking and re-
taining the child ontside the State, followed hy the issne of a Federal
B warrant of arrest on the ground of unlawfnl Oigbt to avoid prosecution.
Since the .first respondent bad already come over to India with the
minor child these warr3Jllts could not be executed in the United States.
The Consular Officer, American Consulate General, Bombay, visited
the residence of the first respondent's parents in Pone but the minor ,
child was not present there and the grand-parents reported that the _,,•r
C child and his father had gone North, possibly to Kashmir and that they
were not aware of their exact whereabouts. Thereafter, the .petitioner
filed a petition in this Court seeking the issnance of a writ of Habeas
Corpus directing the respondents to produce in Conrt her minor child :I!
and to hand over custody to her as the person entitled to it under the
order of a competent foreign Court.
D
In response to the notice isrued hy this Court, the fi..St respondent
appeared and produced the child in Conrt and filed a connter-affidavit
explaining his condnct the explanation tendered by him was that his
father was seriously ill and be wanted bis father to see the child. It was
further submitted that the· child prefers to stay with him in. Pone and
E hence he was admitted in a School there and that it will be in the interest 'i
of the child that be should be allowed to reside with him in India.

Disposing of the petition,

HELD: !. Whenever a question arises before Court pertaining to ~
F the custody of a minor child, the matter is to be decided not on consid-
eration of the legal rights of parties but on the sole and predominant cri-
terion of what would best serve the interest and welfareoftbeminor. [181F]

2. It is the duty of all Courts in all conntries ~o do all they can to
ensure tbAt the wrongdoer does not gain an advantage by his wrongdo-
G ing. The Courts in all countries ought to be careful not to do anything to
encourage the tendency of sudden and unauthorised removal' of chil-
dren from one country to another.· This substitution of self-help for due
process of law in this field can only harm the interests of the wards ~
generally, and a judge should pay due regard to the orders of the proper
foreign Court unless he is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that to do
H ·so would inflict serious harm on the child. (1838-D]
ELIZABETH D!NSHAW v. ARVAND M. DINSHAW 177

Re H. (infants), 1966 (I) All E.R. 886, relied upon. A
3. The conduct of the first respondent in taking the child from the
custody of the person to whom it had been entrusted hy the Court was
undoubtedly most repprehensible. The explanation sought to be given,
namely, his father's illness, is far from convincing and does not in any
way justify such gross violation and contempt of the order of the Circuit B
Court in Michigan. [181 El

4. The child's presence in India is the result of an illegal act of
, abduction and the father who is guilty of the said act cannot claim any
--'{<. advantage by stating that he has already put the child in some school.
' The conduct of the father has not been such as _to inspire confidence in c
the Court that he is a fit and suitable person to he entrusted with the
custody and guardianship of the child. [182C]

5. It will be in the best interest and welfare of the child that he
should go back to the United States of America and continue his educa·
tion there under the custody and guardianship of the mother to whom D
such custody and guardianship have been entrusted by a competent
Court in that country. The petitioner who is the mother, it full of
genuine love and affection for the child and she can be safely trusted to
look after him, educate him, and attend in every possible way to his
proper up-bringing. The child has not taken root in this country and he.
is still accustomed and acclamatized to the place of his origin in the E
United States of America. [ !8IH- !82A, BJ

6. The·first respondent has tendered before this Court an uncon-
ditional apology. The proper, step to be .taken hy him is.to tender such
an apology to the Court whose order he has violated. He has been found
to be in contempt of the Circuit Court, Saginaw, Michigan for violation F
of its order and that Court has consequently terminated the visitation
rights conferred on the first respondent. He may move that Court for
modification of its order on tendering his unconditional apology to that
Court. The petitioner shOuld cooperate with the respondent in the mat·
. ter of enabling him to have restricted visitation rights in America and
should also extend her cooperation for the withdrawal of the warrants G
of arrest outstanding against the first respondent. [183F-184C]

.}- ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 270 of
1986

Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. H
178 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1987] I S.C.R.

Mrs. K. Hingorani for the Petitioner.
A
Kapil Sibal, Karanjawala, Mrs .. Karanjawala and C.V. Subba
Rao for the Respondents.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
B
BALAKRISHNA ERADI, J. Immediately· on conclusion of the
hearing of arguments in the above Writ Petition on June t t, 1986,
having regard to the urgency of the matter, we passed the following
order:-
'
"We allow the Writ Petition and'direct that the minor boy,-'\
c Dustan be restored forthwith to the ciistody of the peti·
tioner i.e. the mother with liberty to the petitioner to take
him to the United States. The child 'Wilt be a ward of the
concerned Court in Michigan and it will be open to the
father, first respondent herein to move that Court for a
D review of the custody of the child, if he is so advised.
Detailed reasons will follow. The passport of the child
which is in deposit with the Registrar of this Court will be
returned to the petitioner i.e. the mother of the child today
itself. The concerned authorities of the Govt. of India will
afford alt facilities to the mother to take the child back to
E the United States pursuant to the order passed by this
Court."

We now proceed to state in this judgment our reasons in support of the
order.

F The petitioner, Mrs. Elizabeth Dinshaw is a citizen of the United
States of America residing in the State of Michigan. She is employed as
a case worker for the State of Michigan in Genesee County Depart·
ment of Social Services, Flint Michigan. The first respondent, Mr.
Arvand M .. Dinshaw, who. is an Indian citizen was a student at North·
em Michigan _University·in 1971. During that period the petitioner was .
G also studying there. What started as a friendship between them on the
campus later developed into love and the petitioner was married to the
first respondent in a civil ·marriage before a legal magistrate in
Negaunee, Michigan on February 26, 1972. The first respondent there- -{
after settled down in the United States more or less on a permanent
basis having secured employment as an Acc:Ountant for the Control-
H ler's Office in Genesee County. and having obtained a permanent
ELIZABETH DINSHAW v. ARVAND M. DINSHAW [ERADI, J.) 179

immigration Visa. A male child, Dustan, was born to the couple on A
August 30, 1978 in Rochester, Michigan, United States of America
where they were having their' marital home.

Unfortunately, differences arose between the two spouses late in
the year 1980 and on December 23, 1980, the petitioner along with her
son took up separate residence in a women's shelter in Saginaw, Michi- B
gan. She filed a petition for divorce on January 2, 1981 in the Circuit
Court for the County of Saginaw, Michigan. By a decree dated April
23, 1982, the Circuit Court held that it had been established that there
l
-
·.~
r - had been a breakdown in the marriage relationship to the extent that
·the objects of matrimony had been des!royed and there remained no
reasonable likelihood that the marriage could be preserved and hence
it declared the marriage as dissolved and granted a divorce to the
petitioner as prayed for. By the same decree, it was directed that the
petitioner shall have the care, custody and control of the minor child of
the parties until he reaches the age of 18 years or until the further
orders of that Court. The first respondent, the father was given visi•ta-
tion rights by the decree and it was provided that he sha.ll 'have visita- D
tion with the minor child from approxim~tely 5 P.M. to 8 P.M. on the
Wednesday of every week during which he does not have a weekend
visitation. It was further ordered that the father shall have visitation
with the minor child on alternate weekends from 6 P.M. on Friday
until the following Monday morning when he should return the child to ·
his day care eentre. On the subject of travel with the minor child io any · E
place outside the United States, it was specifically directed in the
decree as follows:-

"''IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND ADJUDGED
THAT should the Defendant ARV AND M. DINSHAW,
wish to travel with the minor child outside the territorial F
limits of the United States, he shall bring a petition before
this Court. setting forth the conditions under which he in-
tends iO leave the country with the minor child. The court
shall then make a determination as to whether such travel
is in the best interests of the minor child, and what condi-
tions shall be setforth to ensure the child's return." G

Taking advantage of the weekend visitation rights granted to him
by the above decree, the first respondent picked up Dustan from his
school on January to, 1986 and secretly left the United States of
America for India on January 11, 1986. at about 8.30 in the night. He
H
180 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1987] 1 S.C.R.

A had not intimated the Court about his intention to take the child out of
its jurisdiction and outside country nor had he given the slightest indi-
cation to the petitioner about.his intention to leave the United States
of America permanently for India. It may be stated that immediately
before leaving for India, the first respondent had sold away the im-
B movable property consisting of a house and its premises owned by him
in Seymour, Lindau, Michigan, where he had been residing and it was
only from the Airport that he posted a letter tendering his resigation
from his job as Accountant in the Country. In this context it is signifi-
cant to recall that the decree of the Circuit Court contained the follow-
ing directions:

c "IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that
the Defendant shall notify the Office of the Friend of the
Court promptly concerning any changes in his address. The
Court further finds that the Defendant is presently residing
at 14155 Seymour, Lindan, Michigan."
D
It was only late in the day on Monday, January l3, 1986 that the
petitioner came to know that the minor child, Dustari had not been
returned to the day care centre by the first respondent. She imme-
diately moved the Michigan Circuit Court complaining against the
violation by the first respondent of the terms of its decree. A warrant
E of arrest was issued by the Michigan Circuit Court against the first ··--r
respondent on January 16, 1986 on the ground of unlawful taking and

1
retaining the child outside the State. This was later followed by the
issue of a Federal warrant of arrest against the first respondent on the
January 28, 1986 on the grdund or unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Since the first respondent had already come over to India with the
F minor child, these warrants could not be executed in .the United
States. The first respondent has his ancestral home in Pune where his
parents are residing. The petitioner made frantic efforts through
American Consulate General at Bombay to trace out the whereabouts ·
of Dustan. She received a reply that the Consular Officer. American
Consulate General, Bombay travelled to Pune on Friday. March 7,
G 1986 and though she was able to visit the residence of the first respon-
f
dent's parents and she spoke with them. the minor child, Dustan was
not present there and the grand-parents reportedJhat Dustan and his
father had gone North, possible, to Kashmir and that they were not
aware of the exact whereabouts of Dustan and the .first respondent.
The petitioner finding herself totally helpless to recover back the
H custody of her minor child, whom she had brought up for more than 7
ELIZABETII DINSHAW v. ARVAND M. DINSHAW [ERADI, J.] 181"

years, thereafter arranged to have this petition filed in this Court A
seeking the issuance of writ of Habeas Corpus directing the respon-
dents to produee in Court her minor child, Dustan and to handover his
custody to her as the person entitled to his custody under the order of a
competent foreign Court.

In response to the notice issued by this Court directing produc- B
tion of the child before the Court, the first respondent appeared and
produced the child in Court. He has filed a counter-affidavit but signi-
l ficantly there is absolutely no satisfactory explanation given there for
·rnis conduct in abducting the child from America without seeking
permission of the Court in that country of which the minor child was
ward. His only explanation is that his father was seriously ill and he c
wanted that his father in his ailing condition to see Dustan. He has
further stated that his son Dustan has told him on an enquiry that he
would prefer to stay with him in Pune and hence he had got Dustan
admitted in St. Helena's School in Standard III. According to him he
had not deliberately done anything wrong in bringing Dustan with him
from the United States and that now the minor child is well-settled D
here in India and it will be in the interest of the child that he should be
allowed to ~eside with him in India as per the child's desire.

The eonduct of the first respondent in taking the child from the
y custody of the perspn to whom it had been entrusted by the Court was
undoubtedly most repprehensible. The explanation sought to be given E
by him namely, his father's illness, is far fr.om convincing and does not
in any way justify such gross viola_tion and contempt of the order of the

Circu::::::~: ~ic::::i.on arises before C~urt pertaining to the
F
custody of a minor child, the matter is to be decided not on considera-
tions of the legal rights of parties but on tl)e sole and predominant
' criterion of what would best serve the interest and welfare of the
minor. We have twice interviewed Dustan in our Chambers and talked
with him. We found him to be too tender in age and totally immature
to be able to form any iitdependent opinion of his own as to which
parent he should stay with. The child is an American citizen. Except- G
ing for the last few months that have elapsed since his being brought to
..).... India by the process of illegal abduction by the father, he has spent the
rest of his life in the United States of America and he was doing well in
school there. In our considered opinion it will be in the best interests
and welfare of Dustan that he should go back to the United States of
America apd continue his education there under the custody and guar- H
182 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1987] 1 S.C.R.

A dianship of the mother to whoin such custody and guardianship have >
been entrusted by a competent Court in that country. We are also
satisfied that the petitioner who is the mother, is full of genuine love
and affection for the child and she can be safely trusted to lookafter
him, ed)lcate him and attend in every possible way to his proper up-
B bringing. The child has not taken root in this country and he is still
accustomed and acclimatized to the conditions and environments
obtaining in the place of his origin in the United States of America. r
The child's presence in India is the result of an illegal act of abduction
and the father who is guilty of the said act cannot claim any advantage
by stating that he has already put the child to some school in Pune. The-1·
eonduct of the father has not been such as to inspire confidence in us
C that he is a fit and suitable person to be entrusted with the custody and
guardianship of the child for the present.

In Re. H. (infants) [1966] l All E.R. 886, the Court of Appeal in
England had occasion to consider a somewhat similar question. That
D case concerned the abduction to England of two minor boys who were
American citizens. The father was a natural-born American citizen
and the mother, though of Scottish origin, had been resident for 20
years in the United States of America. They were divorced in 1953 by a
decr'ee in Mexico, which embodied provisions entrusting the custody
of the two boys to the mother with liberal access to the father. By an
E amendment made in that order in December, 1964, a provisions was ·,
incorporated that the boys should reside at all times in the State of
New York and should at all times be under the control and jurisdiction
of the State of New York. In March, 1965, the mother removed the
boys to England, without having obtained the approval of the New
York court, and without having consulted the father; she purchased a 1
F house in England with the intention of remaining there permanently
and of cutting off all contacts with the father. She ignored an order
made in June, 1965, by the Supreme Court of New York State to
return the boys there. On a motion on notice given by the father in the ·
Chancery Division of the Court in England, the trial judge Cross, J.
directed that since the children were American children and the
G American Court was the proper Court to decide the issue of custody,
and as it was the duty of courts in all countries to see that a parent
doing wrong by removing children out of their country did not gain any
advantage by his or her wrongdoing, the Court without going into the ~
merits of the question as to where and with whom the children should
live, would order that the childfen should go back to America. In the
H appeal filed against the said judgment in the Court of Appeal, Willmer
, om~~ D~• Am~ •. M. ""lliAW •AAm. ;I 183

, L.J. while dismissing the appeal extracted with approval the following A
passage from the judgment of Cross, J. :-

"The sudden and unauthorised removal of children from
one country to another is far too frequent nowadays, and as
it seems to me, it is the duty of all courts in all countries to
do all they can to ensure that the wrongdoer does not gain B
( an advantage RY his wrongdoing.

The Courts in all countries ought, as I see it, to be careful c
nono do anything to encourage this tedency. This substitu-
tion of self-help for due process of law in this field can only
harm the interests of wards generally, and a judge should,
as I see it, pay regard to the orders of the proper foreign
Court unless he is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt thatto
do so would inflict serious harm on the child." D

With respect we are in complete agreement with the aforesaid
enunciation of the principles of .law to be applied by the Courts iq
situations such as this.

As already observed by us, quite independently of this consi- E
deration we have come to the firm conclusion that it will be in the best
interests of the minor child that he should go back with his mother to
the_ United States of America and continue there as a ward of the
concerned Court having jurisdiction in the State of Michigan. The first
respondent has tendered before this Court in an affidavit filed by him
an unconditional apology for having illegally brought Dustan over to F
India from the United States in violation of the order of the competent
Court in that country. The proper step to be taken by him is to tender
such an apology to the Court· whose order he has violated. It was
brought to our notice that by an order passed by the Circuit Court,
Saginaw, Michigan on February 11, 1'186, the first respondent has been
found to be in contempt of that Court for violation of its order and the G
Court has consequently termfrtated the visitation rights which had
been conferred on the first respondent by the decree dated April 23,

~,
1982. It will be open to the first respond<lllt, if he is so advised, to
move the Saginaw County Circuit Court in the State of Michigan for
'
modification of this order on· tendering his unconditional apo.logy to
' that Court, and if he is able to satisfy that Court that there is ;gertuhie

.
r'
184 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1987] 1 S.C.R:~
A contrition and regret Ol) his part fot the wrong that he has done, we
have no doubt that the Circuit Court will take a lenient view and pass
appropriate orders working out justice between the parties keeping in
mind the important aspec1 that it will not be in the interest of the
minor child to completely alienate him from hisfather for-whom the
child has developed genuine affection. We have also no doubt that the
B petitioner will not take a vindictive attitude but would forget and
forgive what has happened in the pasi and cooperate with the father in
the matter of enabling him to have restricted visitation rights in
America with all necessary, proper and adequate safeguards and that
the petiti!>ner would also extend her cooperation for the withdrawal of-v
the warrants of arrest outstanding against the .first respondent in case
c he approaches her with such a request.
For the reasons stated above, the Writ Petition is disposed of
with the directions issued by o~ order dated June 11, 1986.

A.P.J. Petition disposed of.
D

/