New Delhi: An Indian couple has been denied custody of 27-month-old Ariha Shah by a court in Berlin’s Pankow. The custody of child has been handed over to Germany’s Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt). The child, Ariha has been in the custody of the Jugendamt since September 2021. The court granted custody to the state of Germany while refuting claims made by her parents that injury sustained by their child was ‘accidental’. It was emphasized by the court that “best interests of the child are at risk”, to justify its verdict. German authorities had accused child’s parents, Dhara and Bhavesh Shah of abusing their baby leading to her placement within foster care.
“From today, we hand over Ariha to 140 crore Bhartiyas,”
After the verdict was delivered the couple gave a statement in which they said, “From today, we hand over Ariha to 140 crore Bhartiyas.” The case has garnered significant public attention in India, as well as involvement from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) since 2022. Ariha’s parents have expressed their confidence and faith in government of India. They believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar will work towards bringing Ariha back to India. 59 Members of Parliament from 19 Indian political parties have signed a joint letter to Philipp Ackerman, the German ambassador in New Delhi.
Bringing Child to India
Initially the parents of child had sought custody by later requested that the child to be handed over to Indian Welfare Services. In response to the situation MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said, “We would like to reiterate that Ariha Shah is an Indian national and her nationality and socio-cultural background is the most important determinant of where her foster care is to be provided.” After the verdict, Ariha’s parents arrived in Delhi and appealed to the Indian government and sought repatriation of the Indian national. “We plan to appeal in a higher court in Germany but have little hope of getting a fair trial. We were expecting a verdict like this. They did not opine on the reports of experts who defended us, and just gave a one-sided verdict,” says Bhavesh. The couple also said they did not know whether the Jugendamt will continue or permit visitation once Ariha turns 3-year-old.
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