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abc (manager)     18 June 2012

Ex husband fled to us with my daughter

Hi,

 

I am legally separated from my husband. The  custody of my  10 yrs old daughter went to my husband.

But Then my child was not happy and I filed for the custody of the child. The custody battle was going on in the family court and  I got the interim custody of my child for 10 days during her summer holidays.

But when I went to pi

ck up my daughter, I was told that my ex husband has fled to US with my daughter.

I filed an FIR against him in the local police station.

I am trying to get the contempt of court order from the High court.

My daughter is a US citizen. My ex husband is an immigrant. I am based in India.

I want to file a  case against my ex husband in US on grounds of parental child abduction and emotional abuse of the child ( by forcing her to be away form her Mother when she wants to be able to meet and speak to her Mother) ..

 

I want to know:

1. Can I file a case against my ex husband from India?

2. What should I next do in the family court/High court in India to get my child back?

My ex husband is emotionally torturing both me and my daughter and any advice on this will be truly apprciated.

Should I write to my ex husband's employer in US stating that he has done a contempt of court?

Thanks



Learning

 65 Replies

abc (manager)     18 June 2012

Hi Ashish,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Please let me know:

 

1. Can I file a court case against my ex husband in  US ( my daughter is a US citizen but my ex husband is an immigrant).  If so how?

2.  I am in the process of making a comtempt of court petition against him. Can you tell me which court (High Court or Family court)   will approach Indian High commision in US and force my ex husband to come back to India.. And what steps I need to take to achieve this?

Thanks
 


(Guest)

You are daydreaming to force your husband to come to india by filing applications ..... even you mentioned that your husband got the child's custody thru court ...... then why playing dirty games ??? Live and let live  !!

 

Indian high comission is US has no authority to extradite any US citizen or Permanent resident !! Anywas keep banging ~~~

abc (manager)     18 June 2012

See my husband got the custody of the child, but I should have access to the child..

He is depriving me of the access to the child..  and he is emotionally abusing the child be depriving her of her Mother...

He is depriving a child from her mother forcefully...

I agree that he may not be extradited from US, but then we need to have some grounds to catch hold from him once he lands in this country..

And what if my daughter is being abused by him? who is responsible for it?

HK_Jain... (498a Fighter)     18 June 2012

No one of spouse can have the full authority over child to take child out of country without the other spouse consent.

Go with Ashish ji

MRRpersonality (Knows very little about Indian laws)     18 June 2012

@abc:  You said your daughter is 10 year old.  US laws are lot more stringent and clear when it comes to abuse of children.   Your daughter would have learnt all her rights during her first pediatrician visit itself, or from her teachers. I would suggest you do not worry about your daughter being ill-treated or abused.  Your child of 10 year old could not have gone with father forcibly.

 

As a mother, you have right to visits and talk to your daughter.  There was a clear contempt of court in his actions. Summons can be served on him via Indian consulate in US or through bailiffs.   

abc (manager)     18 June 2012

Hi,

A few clarifications here:

1. The custody case is already going on in family court in India. My ex husband and his lawyer stopped coming to the court around 3 months ago..

2. During my child's summer holidays, I got the interim custody of the child for 10 days and when I went to pick up my child (she stays in another city), I came to know that she has been taken to US by my ex husband.

3. My daughter is in US since last 2 months only.. small chance that she  would know about her  rights..

why do I need to serve summons again? I  am thinking of filing a case against my ex husband in US on grounds of emotional abuse of child.. Please advice if it is possble for me to do so from India?

Thanks

MRRpersonality (Knows very little about Indian laws)     18 June 2012

Have you thought about approaching US consulate in India with your court documents and complain to them about abduction ?   If you can get contempt of court petition against him and the court has issued warrants then US consulate in India will trace him down.  On DV/498a, there are no equivalents in US.  But on matters related to child custody, US will honor court orders of a competent Indian court.

Filing in US directly could be a bit more difficult,  unless you are willing to travel or if you can find an attorney there that can help you remotely.

abc (manager)     18 June 2012

Hi,

Thanks a lot.

I had thought about going to US counsulate but then dropped the idea becuase I came to know that  they are not of much help in case of 498... Yes you are right, May be they will be more careful in case of child custody, may be they will be serious about it since my daughter is a US citizen. Currently I have following documents with me:

1. certified copy of order.

2.copy of  Affidavit filed in family court informing contempt of court.

3. FIR filed in the city  o n the day contempt of court happned.

Are the above three documents good enough  to approach the US consulate? I know where my husband is in US. what is US consulate expected to do?

Also is there a separate cell in US consulate to address these matters? whom should I contact in US consulate?   Please advice.

Thanks

Sunil Sharma (Consultant)     18 June 2012

abc,

I have a feeling that your ex-husband must have taken the daughter much before the interim court order. Before the court order, he had the custody of the daughter. You may have filed the contempt case, but in due time he will cite all these reasons. 

Anyway, going through all these circuitous ways will take lot of time. Are there possibilities to approach your ex-husband in any non-judicial, non threatening ways ---- after all, it is the question of your and his daughter!!! 

Tajobsindia (Senior Partner )     18 June 2012

@ Author,


Here are in laymen’s way US laws on child abduction explained to you. Keep trying now!


An “Amber Alert” would NOT be issued in this case, unless the child was deemed to be in danger. It is NOT considered parental abduction in this case because a parent can not kidnap their own child, again unless there is a custody arrangement in place (then if they violate that arrangement, it IS considered parental abduction) but same should be reciprocal arrangement recognized by both countries. For your bad luck understanding
USA does not recognize Indian custody laws of their CITIZENS.


Illustration first on how I arrived at colly. reasoning below:


Say on 1st. June he with child left for
USA while some custody case was pending in India. After his leaving the order on interim visitation was announced by the Court say on 10th. June. You reached at doorstep as per Memo of Parties in that suit say by 11th. June to find locked address. In such illustration it is not abduction nor kidnapping nor even contempt of Court for a simple reason no restraining order not to leave Jurisdiction of Court as status quo was ever tried first of all by your side before even filling for interim custody application!!!
 

Colly reasoning:


Both of you were granted by a court decree separation. During that suit the physical custody went to natural father who as per Indian law is natural guardian of the child. You are just a mother to the child. A 8 years old child as per US law is treated as reasoning age in child abduction suits unlike in India the age is 11 years other than few septuagenarian lordships emotional chamber announcements in stray cases of 5 years old child to be reasoning age for which you may run fast to SC. His employer may kick him out reading emotional letter of Indian ex wife but then USA is land of opportunities and a natural father with a minor child would not have taken risks without weighing his capacity to sustain there before taking the child. Both countries donot have extradition treaties for USA citizen which your child specially enjoins NOW J India does not recognize Hague Abduction Convention (many Indian wives from USA have abducted child back to India so it is natural why Indian legislature would be keep to give ascent to Hague convention on IKPA which US recognizes to come out with INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION REMEDIES ACT (ICARA) in 2008). Ours is a weak State when it comes to such grey matters and sufferers are both genders of Indian origin.

Your Indian lawyer should know first that The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) has been enacted only in 48 states (in USA) and has been just introduced in others. Generally, this statute contains both jurisdiction and enforcement provisions that require a state to enforce a custody or visitation order that was issued by the child’s habitual residence. Ministry in Delhi is great in red-tap so there goes high sales on Duranto train tickets to come every weekdays to talk to some babus in Central Ministry to expedite the case whatever rosy promised by yoru lawyer back home J.


US only recognizes INCOMING HAGUE CASES and since India is non signatory so there goes such futile efforts and indirectly burn money on high flying brother advocates assurances that ammaigaru I will get back your child ! That may be the reason another replier above said ‘keep banging”? Mind it India is heaven for INCOMING child abduction and no act of even GOD can extradite USA citizen child brought to India by an Indian Hon. mother - except one case that of my old friend Dr. V. Ravi Chandran which offcourse was faught one time by ld. Sh. Prashant Bhushan. 


Now here is the concluding shocker of USA Court system where some future case you may plan to file and on what parameters the local USA Court can deny the return of your child based on 10 days vacation alleged contempt (for USA Court it is not contempt believe me) -

The return of your child can be denied by a U.S. court under limited circumstances in accordance with the Hague Convention. The return can be denied, for example, if the other parent (that is natural father) is able to prove to the court one of these exceptions provided for in the Hague Convention:



- If there is a “grave risk” that the child’s return “would expose the child to physical or psychological harm or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation” (Article 13b);
Take: Your husband has smart lines to explain this para sittiing in comfortable adopted home. All that he has to do is pay honestly hourly rates to local attorney, they will do his work.


- If “the child objects to being returned and has attained an age and degree of maturity at which it is appropriate to take account of” the child’s views (Article 13b);
Take: If your child did not raise any alarm at port of departure (i.e. India) and upon embarkation port in USA upon arrival then all said done she is comfortable in her dads company and will sing non-objection tune believe us the moment she has been to Disney Land (by now her father must have taken her on such visit for sure) this we have seen practically.


- If over one year has passed since the date of the wrongful removal or retention (Article 12) and it is demonstrated that the child is settled in their new environment; Take: This is about to happen if babus in Delhi get busy in coming presidential election betting and ignore for long your file.

or

 


If the return of the child would be in violation of the
United States
’ “protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms” (Article 20).
Take: Ask your local Advocate what is Indian equivalent as per our Constitution to American Art. 20
J



But apart from above depressive reading here is a good news; In order to pursue the return of your child from
USA, you will likely need to retain an attorney in the country to which your child was taken.  This attorney abroad list is kept in some drawer at US Consulate in nearest metropolis in India whom you may approach and can help you navigate.



Concluding remark is that I differ to non legal read with non medical take of @ MRRPersonality and say he should read posts instead of giving such bald takes without any application of mind.  


That is why number of times I placed here articles for prudent professionals to pressurize India sign
Hague Convention but then who cares is general attitude and people take note when they get HIT and not otherwise is our national pastime………

MRRpersonality (Knows very little about Indian laws)     18 June 2012

@abc:  you can reach consulate only with your grave concern and fear of abuse of the child as stated by you.  those documents could be supporting your claims, but will not be of much help and they wont act on it, as per the inter country treaties signed between US and India. 

 

Based on your serious concern, the consulate will engage police in US to determine if your fears are true which includes contacting your daughter/ex-husband to ascertain the claim.   If your daughter was forcibly taken by your ex-husband and if your daughter expresses her discomfort living with your ex-husband or if she has been abused in any form, then it would be taken as a crime against a US citizen child.

 

Based on custody orders, you can not seek extradition of your husband.

 

If your child went willfully with her father (which looks more likely) because US port of entry usually verifies this either by asking where is her mother or for the consent letter or the court custody orders.  

 

You can get your summons or court warrants (custody orders, or contempt of court orders) served via either US consulate in India or Indian embassy in US. 

abc (manager)     19 June 2012

Hi,

I am asking that my daughter is being emotionally abused by my husband by forcefully separating her from her Mother.

I daughter has given statement in family court that she wants to be able to see her mother and speak to her mother and be with her during her holidays etc.. and that she misses her mother very much..

 

But inspite of knowing everything, my ex husband purposely took my child to US so that she cannot meet me.

This is  emotional abuse of the child.. Just because  he has the custody of the child, does not mean that he will  force her to live according to his wishes..

Isn't that good enough grounds for US consulate to appraoch my husband in US?

Isnt emotional abuse of child a crime in US?

Please advise?

Thanks

 

Originally posted by :MRRpersonality

"
@abc:  you can reach consulate only with your grave concern and fear of abuse of the child as stated by you.  those documents could be supporting your claims, but will not be of much help and they wont act on it, as per the inter country treaties signed between US and India. 

 

Based on your serious concern, the consulate will engage police in US to determine if your fears are true which includes contacting your daughter/ex-husband to ascertain the claim.   If your daughter was forcibly taken by your ex-husband and if your daughter expresses her discomfort living with your ex-husband or if she has been abused in any form, then it would be taken as a crime against a US citizen child.

 

Based on custody orders, you can not seek extradition of your husband.

 

If your child went willfully with her father (which looks more likely) because US port of entry usually verifies this either by asking where is her mother or for the consent letter or the court custody orders.  

 

You can get your summons or court warrants (custody orders, or contempt of court orders) served via either US consulate in India or Indian embassy in US. 
"

abc (manager)     19 June 2012

Originally posted by :Ashish Davessar
"
Dear Querist,

 

Since the interim custody of the daughter was awarded to you by the Court, his act of taking his daughter out of your lawful custody without your consent, tantamounts to a deliberate and wilful contempt of court. Move a contempt petition against him, apart from filing the cases against him in US and informing his employer about the misdemeanor committed by him in India. The court, can through the Indian High Commission in US, force his return to India and restore to you the custody of your daughter. It would also weaken his case for custody.
"

 Hi Ashish,

This is a civil case. In this case the family court has no authority to call my husband from US.

I am filing the petition of contempt of court in High Court. Then can the High Court  force my ex husband to come back to India? and on what grounds? What do I need to file in High court for the High court to take necessary steps? And why do you think that High court will force my ex husband to return to india?

Thanks 

abc (manager)     19 June 2012

Hi Sunil, Unfortunately their is no non-judicial way to catch hold of my ex husband.. And that is the reason why it has reached to such a state. He just does not care for his own daughter's emotional needs and need to be with her Mother.. His ego is far more bigger than his dayghter's needs.. Even when my daughter cries for her mother, she is not allowed to meet me.
Originally posted by :Sunil Sharma
"
abc,

I have a feeling that your ex-husband must have taken the daughter much before the interim court order. Before the court order, he had the custody of the daughter. You may have filed the contempt case, but in due time he will cite all these reasons. 

Anyway, going through all these circuitous ways will take lot of time. Are there possibilities to approach your ex-husband in any non-judicial, non threatening ways ---- after all, it is the question of your and his daughter!!! 
"


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