Child custody row: Supreme Court directs Centre to issue look-out notice for 'absconding' Russian woman

New Delhi: In a child custody case, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to issue look-out notices for a Russian woman - Victoria Basu - who has allegedly absconded with a five-year-old son from her marriage to an Indian man, Saikat Basu.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also directed the Delhi Police to 'trace the missing child without any loss of time' and hand over the custody to the father.

The father of the child had claimed that the mother and his son, who was with her as per a custody deal, have been 'missing' since July 7.

The bench asked the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to issue look-out notices and ensure that the mother is not permitted to leave the country.

The couple’s divorce proceedings were pending before a family court in Delhi's Saket.

The woman’s counsel informed the bench that her whereabouts are not known.

The bench, which seemed unconvinced with this contention, told the counsel, “You people know everything... Do you think you can play with us?"

The husband has claimed that his estranged wife had been seen secretly entering the Russian embassy in Delhi. He contended before the apex court that he feared mother and child may have fled India.

The court directed for the seizure of the mother's passport and also asked the MEA officers to talk with Russian embassy officials to seek permission to enter into the residence of the diplomat who was last seen with the Russian woman.

The child’s father had claimed that there was a custody deal according to which the boy spends three days a week with his mother, and she took custody of the boy on May 22. The father contended before the apex court that he saw the child last time in May.

The couple met in China where the man was working as an engineer for a software company. They got married in India in 2017.