A Jain
man has approached the family court in Surat seeking the custody of his
seven-year-old daughter, claiming that his estranged wife has decided
against his wishes that the child should take diksha as a monk.
He
should be appointed the girl's legal guardian to protect her interests,
said the plea filed under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890.
Judge S
V Mansuri of the family court on Wednesday issued a notice to the
respondent wife, seeking a reply by December 22.
As per the petitioner,
he married the respondent in 2012, and they have two children. The
couple have been living separately since 2024. He had discussed the
issue of their daughter embracing monkhood with his wife and agreed that
the girl should become a monk after attaining maturity, the petition
said.
But his wife insisted that the child take diksha (undergo
initiation as a monk) at a mass ceremony in Mumbai in February 2026, it
claimed.
In April 2024, his wife left home with their two children and
went to stay with her parents, saying she would return only if he
agreed to their daughter's diksha, the petition alleged.
Later she
insisted on going ahead with the ceremony whether he agreed or not, it
said.
Being only seven years old, his daughter cannot take such a
decision on her own, the petitioner said.
His wife used to take the
daughter to religious gatherings, and once left her alone with a guru at his Ahmedabad ashram without his consent, the man claimed.
Later, on learning that his wife had left the child at the ashram of a
Jain monk in Mumbai, he went to meet the child but was turned back, the
petition claimed. -- PTI
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