UK: Indian Parents Plead For Return Of Children From Foster Care

UK: Indian Parents Plead For Return Of Children From Foster Care

New Delhi: An Indian couple who won a major UK court appeal recently that has prevented their children from losing their Indian citizenship are now appealing for authorities in Britain to allow their two minor children in foster care in Britain to be reunited with their family to live in India.

The parent who cannot be named for legal reasons, are originally from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and moved to the UK in 2004. They lost all contact with their children and son aged 11 and daughter aged 9 in August 2015 when they were taken into the care of the local childcare authorities in Birmingham.

In Britain their case has been going through the family court and last weeks, the UK Court of Appeal judgment concluded that the Birmingham Children's Trust must seek the court's approval before any attempt to apply British citizenship for children in the face of "parental opposition".

"I am an Indian national. The children are Indian nationals too. We would love to go to India. We don't want British citizenship for the children. We have made this clear," said the 52-year-old father, a civil engineer struggling to make ends meet in Birmingham.

"The Indian High Commission supported the return of my children in the court proceedings," he said.

The CGI in Birmingham noted in a statement said: "We had submitted in the honorable Family Court in Birmingham that the Indian Consulate wishes to provide assistance for the children’s welfare needs and provide the necessary arrangements to provide the Indian passports for the children and will fund the costs of the flights and transportation to India and overseeing their care arrangements".

The CGI said that it continues to offer support and monitor the progress in the case and had also assisted the parents to procure a home study report from the Child Welfare Committee.

"We must understand that the case is sub-judice and any comments on this case may not be appropriate," the Indian consulate noted.

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In the latest appeal, the father was represented by the prominent lawyer Harish Salve, who has argued that a change of citizenship marks a "fundamental change" and "matter of great moment".

In court, the reason behind the children's removal from their parents' care was not revealed but a previous ruling in December last year determined that the minor boy and girl must remain in long term foster care.

The father speaking in tamil said that "My sole purpose of staying back here [in Birmingham] is to get my children released from the UK authorities and have them returned to India, whether with or to approved relatives… The children will lead a peaceful life with safety and security in India".

His wife a 45 year old Indian national who is also from Tamil Nadu now living in Singapore with her mother and the couple had a four and a half-year-old daughter born after she left the UK while pregnant over fears of losing her third child to foster care as well

"Don't I care for my third child well now? Their accusations are just false. They separated my children from me… I was not able to comprehend what was happening and I was just stunned. I asked for an interpreter since I could not understand English much," said the tearful mother from Singapore, also speaking in Tamil.

Last week’s ruling had acknowledged that changing a child’s citizenship was a “momentous step" and not a routine matter.

"Changing a child's citizenship is a momentous step with profound and enduring consequences that requires the most careful consideration… The local authority should now indicate whether it wishes to progress the matter, in which case we will give appropriate directions," it noted.

(With inputs from PTI)

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