MADURAI
Holding that the interest of a child alone should rank paramount, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to grant an exit permit to a girl, who wished to leave for Sweden with her mother.
The court was hearing the petition filed by Shereine Bencita from Sweden, mother of the girl, who sought a direction to the BoI to grant an exit permit to her minor daughter so that they could leave for Sweden. She moved the court after her application was not considered by the authorities concerned.
The Swedish national was in a live-in relationship with a man from Tiruchi and the daughter was born out of their relationship. The woman wanted to return to Sweden and preferred to take her daughter along with her.
During the course of the hearing, it was submitted that along with the application seeking the permit, a marriage certificate and a no-objection certificate obtained from the biological father must also be enclosed.
Justice G.R. Swaminathan took cognisance of the fact that the couple were in a live-in relationship and dispensed with the requirement to furnish the marriage certificate. The court observed that when the mother wanted to leave the country and the biological father did not object to his daughter leaving with her, the child could not be left in the lurch.
The court directed the petitioner to furnish the no-objection certificate obtained from the father of the child and an affidavit indicating the nature of their relationship to the authorities. The court directed the authorities to grant the exit permit and disposed of the case.