Woman in jail for refusing to look after children

4/1/2018

PUNE: The Nigdi police found themselves in a strange situation on Thursday when an estranged couple brought their two minor children to the police station and insisted that they can no longer take care of them.

After a lot of counselling and convincing which proved futile, the police took the couple into custody and produced them in a court on Friday after registering an offence punishable under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court granted bail to the man after he agreed to take the children home. "It, however, sent the woman to jail as she was not ready to take care of her children," said senior inspector Vijaykumar Palsule. The couple has a 10-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. The man works in an automotive battery firm. The woman has lodged a complaint of domestic violence against her husband with the Nigdi police. "Their daughter was staying with the man at Akurdi, while the son was staying with the woman in Yamunanagar," Palsule said.

Palsule said the woman came to the police station on Wednesday with the two children and told the police that she was not able to take care of her children. "We summoned her husband and told him to take the children home," Palsule added. However, both of them were not ready to take their children home. "We tried our best to convince them. Our women police, local people and even counsellors tried hard but both were adamant. At last, the man relented and took the children home," Palsule said.

But again on Thursday morning, the man brought the children to the police station saying that he could not take care of the children. "This time, we summoned the woman and spent a day convincing them, but to no avail. Following which we registered an offence against them," Palsule said.

Palsule said the man was arrested on Thursday, while the woman was taken into custody on Friday. "The couple fought in front of the court when it asked them about the children's custody. The woman flatly refused to take custody of the children," Palsule added. The man was granted bail on the condition that he would take proper care of the children. The woman was sent to jail, Palsule said.