Last week, 40-year-old Indian-origin woman Priyadarshini Patil committed suicide in Australia. Along with this, his family’s battle for the custody of his two children has once again brought to the fore the bitter battle of cases related to the custody of Indian or Indian-origin children abroad. Priyadarshini Patil was found dead on August 27 in Belagavi, Karnataka. She had been fighting for the custody of her children for almost three years. This came after authorities in New South Wales accused Patil and her husband of ‘negligent and improper care’ of the children and separated the children from them. Both are Australian citizens.
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Priyadarshini Patil She returned to India earlier this month to be with her father. A week later he committed suicide. He also left a suicide note, in which he blamed some neighbors and the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice for ruining his life and his family. According to media reports – Patil and her husband were unhappy with the treatment of one of their children, J Intestinal ulcers suffering from
Their son was admitted to a private hospital in New South Wales, but there was no improvement after six months of care, prompting the parents to seek a medical transfer.
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According to reports, the request was denied and a child custody case ensued. The argument was that Amartya’s condition did not improve due to “improper care” at home. Patil’s second child (who is over 18) was also taken into custody by child welfare officials.
As per protocol in such cases, social workers met the parents and observed the home environment. Six positive reports were submitted, but were superseded by a seventh report. Based on this report, child welfare officials took Patil’s children into custody. On Patil’s death, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it was deeply saddened by the death of Priyadarshini Patil and offered its deepest condolences to her family.