Surat court stays 7-year-old Jain girl’s ‘diksha’ after father moves plea

Surat: A family court in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday stayed 'diksha' (religious initiation) of a seven-year-old Jain girl after her father filed a plea claiming his estranged wife had gone against his wishes and decided that the child should embrace monkhood.

Family court judge SV Mansuri granted a stay on her 'diksha', which was scheduled on February 8, 2026, in Mumbai.

"The court granted our plea for an interim stay on the girl's 'diksha' and kept further hearing on January 2. It has asked the mother to file an affidavit stating that the child will not take part in the ceremony," petitioner's lawyer Samapti Mehta said.

The court was informed that the woman had left her husband's house nearly a year ago following a dispute on this issue, and took her daughter and son to live with her parents.

On December 10, the girl's father had approached the family court seeking her custody, claiming his estranged wife had decided against his wishes that the child should take 'diksha' to become a monk.

In the plea, filed under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, the petitioner sought to be appointed as the girl's legal guardian to protect her interests.

Judge Mansuri had issued a notice to the petitioner's wife, seeking a reply by December 22.

The petitioner stated that 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.

The petitioner stated that his wife, however, had insisted that the child take 'diksha' at a mass ceremony in Mumbai in February 2026.

In April 2024, his wife left home with their two children and started living with her parents, saying she would return only if he agreed to their daughter's 'diksha', the petition alleged.

She later insisted on going ahead with the ceremony despite his disapproval, it said.

The petitioner pointed out that his daughter was just seven years old and couldn't make such a decision on her own.

He further claimed that his wife would take their daughter to religious gatherings, and once left her alone with a 'guru' at his Ahmedabad ashram without his consent.

The petitioner also alleged that his wife had once left the child at the ashram of another Jain monk in Mumbai, and that he was not permitted to meet her there.